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Possible signal from a very sunlike star with 1 confirmed planet.


Spaceception

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  On 8/28/2016 at 6:20 PM, UmbralRaptor said:

...a SETI type radio signal from a hot Neptune? o_O

(Mass is just barely less than Neptune, and my back of the envelope calculation is that it gets 20x the insolation of Earth)

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Well, other planets are possible, an Earthlike planet orbiting in the distance between Earth and Mars should be just fine.

If Universe Sandbox 2 is accurate.

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  On 8/28/2016 at 6:20 PM, UmbralRaptor said:

...a SETI type radio signal from a hot Neptune? o_O

(Mass is just barely less than Neptune, and my back of the envelope calculation is that it gets 20x the insolation of Earth)

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Yeah, that's what doesn't seem right here. How is 0.2 AU still in the habitable zone? Epsecially when the star is believed to be about 6 billion years old. That would mean it gives more radiation than the Sun does.

EDIT: Oh wait, wikipedia says it's 4.5 Gyr old, but the article says otherwise. Also this:

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[...]95 light years in the constellation Hercules, and an estimated age of 6.3 billion years.

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 So is it in Lyra or Hercules?

Edited by Veeltch
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No, no. I think author of this article wasn't clear - this star does have one planet known to us (that hot Neptune type close to the star). But system as a whole is not well searched, and there are plenty of room for more conventionally habitable planets we simply didn't find yet. Observation bias at its finest - it's easier for us to see a big rock close to a fire, than much smaller rock farther away. And of course there is no way to tell from where exactly in system this signal originated.

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  On 8/28/2016 at 6:45 PM, Scotius said:

No, no. I think author of this article wasn't clear - this star does have one planet known to us (that hot Neptune type close to the star). But system as a whole is not well searched, and there are plenty of room for more conventionally habitable planets we simply didn't find yet. Observation bias at its finest - it's easier for us to see a big rock close to a fire, than much smaller rock farther away. And of course there is no way to tell from where exactly in system this signal originated.

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Yeah - when decrypted and translated, the signal will probably read:

"Oh come on - you didn't think we lived on that cinder did you? Try and use some sense, Earthlings."

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So this is from r/space:

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The radio signal was as strong - as energetic, that is - as starlight is. That means if it is a signal being beamed out to all directions simultaneously, the signaling entity had to harness the energy of an entire star to do it.

If they were pointing the beam straight at us, they would have had to capture all the solar energy that lands on their planet to do it.

At least, those are the estimates given by the article.

So let's think about it for a minute. A species that could harness an entire planet's solar fall on its surface and redirect that energy to their purpose would be highly advanced. We'd be like not-very-bright gorillas to them. A species that could harness an entire star's energy and use it as they pleased, on the other hand, would be like Gods in comparison to us.

In either case, why would they waste that energy beaming a signal that amounts to "boop" to some dumb gorillas

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Someone smarter than me confirm this. I see the mJy unit probably for the first time in my life and I have no idea what it means, but then there's also this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jansky#Orders_of_magnitude

Edited by Veeltch
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  On 8/28/2016 at 9:57 PM, Veeltch said:

So this is from r/space:

Someone smarter than me confirm this. I see the mJy unit probably for the first time in my life and I have no idea what it means, but then there's also this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jansky#Orders_of_magnitude

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One issue is that the signal is too strong, power levels in the sunlight who falls on earth is stuff you use for accelerating starships or melt asteroids. Not sending directed radio signals. 
Could the singal be even more directed, like an laser for radio waves? 
The signal to noise ratio also don't look so impressive, yes its an good and strong signal but only 10 times stronger than the background noise. 
Anyway it would be an interesting location to look into, even if natural its weird. 

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  On 8/29/2016 at 10:29 AM, magnemoe said:

use for accelerating starships

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... Quick, move Jeff Goldbloom to a secure facility!

  On 8/29/2016 at 10:29 AM, magnemoe said:

One issue is that the signal is too strong, power levels in the sunlight who falls on earth is stuff you use for accelerating starships or melt asteroids. Not sending directed radio signals. 
Could the singal be even more directed, like an laser for radio waves? 
The signal to noise ratio also don't look so impressive, yes its an good and strong signal but only 10 times stronger than the background noise. 
Anyway it would be an interesting location to look into, even if natural its weird. 

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Too strong for you taste to be a simple radio signal but still to weak to impress you?
I think I fail to see your point(s)?

Regarding "all the energy of the star impacting the planet" - capacitors? Or something nuclear like an interstellar starting pistol shot?

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  On 8/29/2016 at 10:49 AM, KerbMav said:

Too strong for you taste to be a simple radio signal but still to weak to impress you?
I think I fail to see your point(s)?

Regarding "all the energy of the star impacting the planet" - capacitors? Or something nuclear like an interstellar starting pistol shot?

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I saying the signal is too strong to make much sense as an radio signal. if transmitted from an civilization using an standard radio signal. 
yes an advanced enough civilization could build it and as you say its various tricks, however why. Probably spam. 

So either its an more concentrated signal or something like gravitation lensing of something behind and natural. 

The other part was looking at the signal, now an signal 1/20 of the strength would not be detectable over the background noise. 
if we assume an directed signal at 10^19 W, we would not have any chance of picking up an signal of  5*10^17 W at 100 light year, this is still way stronger than earth energy use. 
On the other hand as I understand strong directed signals like search radars can be detected over interstellar distances and they are in the 10^7 W range. 

 

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