Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Muskan Arora
A recent study proposes that advanced alien civilizations may be observing Earth's major landmarks from thousands of light-years away but, with a significant time delay.
The findings, outlined in the March 2024 edition of Acta Astronautica, are detailed in a peer-reviewed paper titled "Are we visible to advanced alien civilizations?" authored by ZN Osmanov, a Research Affiliate at the SETI institute.
Osmanov's research says that extraterrestrial civilizations could potentially detect Earth's activities up to 3,000 light-years away, considering the time it takes for light to traverse space.
The study aimed to assess Earth's detectability by categorizing alien civilizations based on their technological capabilities, focusing on the visibility of human artifacts from ancient civilizations to the present day.
Alien societies are classified into three types based on their energy utilization: Type-I harnesses planet-star energy, Type-II utilizes stellar energy, and Type-III consumes galactic energy.
The study emphasizes the potential detection of artificial constructions such as large ships, buildings, and space satellites by alien telescopes, primarily through the observation of reflected visible light.
Optical telescopes are highlighted as key instruments for spatially resolving observed objects and identifying them as artificial constructions, facilitating the detection of Earth's technological artifacts by extraterrestrial observers.
The significant time delay in alien observation, estimated at 3,000 years, suggests that observed landmarks may reflect Earth's historical civilizations, including the Romans, Greeks, Indians, and Egyptians.
The study prompts further exploration into the detectability of Earth by advanced alien civilizations and underscores the importance of optical telescopes in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.