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Sun's Gravity Could Be Tapped to Call E.T.

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posted on Jan, 22 2011 @ 01:48 AM
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Placing communications satellites at certain distances from stars where the massive bodies' gravity bends and focuses radio waves might enable us to communicate with far-flung space probes, distant colonies and even aliens.


Sun's Gravity Could Be Tapped to Call E.T.



Our own sun might represent the best communications device around, if only we could harness its power, scientists say. If the sun's gravity could be used to create a giant telescope, people could send and receive intensely magnified signals that could allow us to call an alien civilization, some researchers propose.

According to Einstein's general relativity, the sun's behemoth mass warps space-time around it, which actually bends light rays passing by like a giant lens. If a detector was placed at the right focal distance to collect the light, the resulting image would be extremely magnified.

If an advanced alien civilization has wired up the stars via gravitational lensing, Maccone said, the ongoing extraterrestrial-seeking SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) program could attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Earth would have to lie in the line-of-sight between the two fixed endpoints of the listening posts, which is a drawback to deploying such a telecommunications system in the first place.

But if aliens have spotted our solar system with its appealingly habitable inner planets, they might drop us a line, Maccone said, albeit a less energetic one than SETI normally looks for.

"Now that we know that stars are very powerful lenses, we might expect that alien civilizations could transmit with much lower power if they know roughly where we can possibly be," Maccone said.


This is quite the interesting article to read from space.com, and if you investigate the possibility of communicating with extraterrestrials by using the sun, imagine what further research and technology could be developed to explore space on a higher scientific & quantum level!

What are your thoughts on this article? Is it possible for even E.T. to phone home, let alone us trying to call E.T.'s home? Maybe we already contacted E.T. and now they are here!



posted on Jan, 22 2011 @ 01:57 AM
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reply to post by Skywatcher2011
 


I do find this type of information interesting. I have always wondered in what direction technology would take us in the search for the best way to communicate throughout space. I am not sure this is the best way, but it definitely shows alternative techniques are being brainstormed and possibly put into effect.

Sooo, if we are hearing about it now, does that mean they have already placed these satellites 15 years ago? Threre has been plenty of things blasted into space that could account for a project like this. We only seem to hear about the advancements after they have been tested and put into use in ways we could only imagine.... unless the technology is bum tech, meant to distract...

Hopefully we can continue to get more information about this and where it goes, as well as other new and alternative ways of communication and travel through the stars.
edit on 22-1-2011 by esteay812 because: ggrrrrr



posted on Jan, 22 2011 @ 02:02 AM
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reply to post by esteay812
 


This article was posted on Dec. 21, 2010. So by the time the author of the article found out about this, the technology must have already existed prior to this.

And such advances in technology (before they can even be talked about due to confidential intelligence, patented technology research funding from private companies/government agencies/NWO, etc...) would likely be hidden from any news mainstream media for a number of years...maybe even NEVER released into media unless there was a whistleblower on the subject. Hence....I dunno, WikiLeaks?!?

edit on 22-1-2011 by Skywatcher2011 because: added comment, made spelling correction



posted on Jan, 22 2011 @ 03:07 AM
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Even if you focus the signal it couldnt travel fast then light, making it still almost useless considering the nearest things to us are still at least hundred of light years away. sure the focus would mean you could communicate longer range, but its still to slow



posted on Jan, 22 2011 @ 07:21 AM
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I have a roundabout thinking on the subject of location of and communication with Extra Terrestrial life. While I accept that there is an urgency and vigour in the field , and amongst armchair enthusiasts particularly, I cannot claim to share that urgency. Make no mistake , I am as eager for the event to occur as the next person, however I also believe that in order to achieve this, we must be prepared to sink significant time, energy, and resource into the project.
Many believe that there are soft answers, easy answers to the question of how best to achieve contact. I however believe that things which are easy are generaly not worth doing. Rather than mere probes sent out to the gravity well of the sun, in order to blast out signals toward potentialy life carrying planets and star systems, I believe that first on the agenda should be aquiring by our own ingenuity, the ability to travel freely in manned craft, the length and breadth of our solar system. One of the problems with this of course is communication, and in this idea put forward in the OP , I think there may be something to it, a chance for our species to make dominion over the solar system.
If engine specification can match the genius of this new comms technique, then our dominion over the planets will be assured, for nothing makes man more motivated than pastures new to investigate and prospect upon, especialy in times of such dire portent as we find ourselves today. Ensuring our postition in our solar system, and inhabiting the available uninhabited planets within it ( The moon, Europa may turn out to have some life on it already, and to pollute a pure ecosystem with our petrochemical and alchemic filth would be a folly and a great sin in my veiw) would give us more potential as a species, and be a better welcome for a visitor species, than merely saying, "We are over here. Come find us, sorry about the Kuiper belt, no we have no idea how to navigate it either, good luck". If we took up residence for instance, on Pluto (yes I know it would be a logistical and engineering nightmare but bare with me ) we could perhaps have a closer and more detailed study of the movement of the objects which swirl around and about our solar system, come to understand thier ebb and flow, and predict paths of relative saftey around the objects out there, or perhaps in a moment of genius and hubris find a way to control thier path with finely tuned pulses of magnetism.
This would provide a much more civilised method of entry to our space, and prevent unhelpful accidents from ruining our first meeting with people from beyond our system, and promote a feeling of welcome. Nothing says welcome like moving an entire feild of asteroids and space junk out of a visitors path, that they may enter without undue stress after a voyage of such magnitude!
In essence , I believe we should be furthering ourselves before attempting commune with alien species because at this time, we are little more than specks, our intellect and reach no greater than that of a child, whos birth cries still echo in his every move and word. When we have mastered our solar system, then perhaps we will prove an intellect with which beings that travel from star to star, can converse with on if not equal then at least familiar terms.
To commune with a species who are capable of traveling the gargantuan distances between systems while naive ourselves in the ways of space, I feel would be to do a terrible insult to any potential visitor. We would clamour at them for insight into how they manage thier flight, thier fuel, how they can cross the distances in time to arrive anything other than a husk, or worse, our handshake blasted out of our solar system might come across a race who wish to move from an endangered world , to one as powerful as thier own, sink resource into an escape vehicle, only to find at journeys end that we are little more than apes, still burning fuel to get about rather than using pure energy systems. The colossal dissapointment that might vest itself on a visitor to find what amounts to a primative race, still obsessed with war, and not remotely united in purpose would be disasterous in my opinion.
I stand by my thinking on this. We must unite, and bring the planets themselves, those we named as Gods in history, under our dominion before we request audience with beings from other worlds, so that the invitation is worth the trip to fulfill !



posted on Jan, 22 2011 @ 11:02 AM
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reply to post by esteay812
 


Well they might already be doing it the U.S. sent a big ass rocket into space with a secret payload on it. So either they are trying to contact other aliens or could they be doing something more sinister.



posted on Jan, 22 2011 @ 11:03 AM
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reply to post by esteay812
 


Well they might already be doing it the U.S. sent a big ass rocket into space with a secret payload on it. So either they are trying to contact other aliens or could they be doing something more sinister.



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