Extrasolar planet found orbiting Proxima Centauri

[Ravenous]

Not that far away, really. Just spend a few hundred/thousand years to explore the Oort cloud, mining it as you go, and I'm sure once you reach the edge (if there is such a thing) Proxima will be a relatively short jump past that point.

(OK this is pretty far-fetched right now, but it should be possible eventually.)

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Also, some radio eaves-dropping might be useful.

We tune in and discover that there is a ongoing narrow beam transmission from them to us that, when decoded and translated, is found to be a continuous repeat of "STOP BROADCASTING! They'll hear you!". :huh:

 

[N_Molson]

About habitability, I'm confident that the day we'll have the technology to send people there, we'll also have the know-how to build long-duration habitats shielded from stellar radiation.

But we're not there right now. And Mars seems to be the second step we can reach right now to continue to climb the stair to the stars (the Moon was the first one). And yes, maybe an outpost somewhere beyond Neptune would be another one.

Often, when you try something difficult it seems impossible at first, however, when you carefully go step-by-step, it can go smoothly. Its the story of the Race to the Moon ; it was science-fiction right after WWII.

 

[Urwumpe]

We tune in and discover that there is a ongoing narrow beam transmission from them to us that, when decoded and translated, is found to be a continuous repeat of "STOP BROADCASTING! They'll hear you!". :huh:

I would rather expect something like that:

..- .-. --. . -. - / -... ..- ... .. -. . ... ... / .--. .-. --- .--. --- ... .- .-.. / -..-. / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / - .... .. .-. - -.-- / -... .. .-.. .-.. .. --- -. / --- ..- -. -.-. . ... / --- ..-. / --. --- .-.. -.. / ..-. .-. --- -- / .- ... - . .-. --- .. -.. / -- .. -. .. -. --. / ... - .-. .- -. -.. . -.. / .. -. / ... .--. .- -.-. . / -..-. / -. . . -.. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .. -. ...- . ... - -- . -. - / --- ..-. / --- -. .-.. -.-- / ..-. --- .-. - -.-- / - .... --- ..- ... .- -. -.. / --- ..- -. -.-. . ... / --- ..-. / .--. .-.. .- - .. -. ..- -- / ..-. --- .-. / ... .- .-.. ...- .- --. . / -..-. / .-- . / --- ..-. ..-. . .-. / - . -. / .--. . .-. -.-. . -. - / .. -. - . .-. . ... - / - --- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .. -. ...- . ... - -- . -. - / -..-. / .--. .-. .. -. -.-. . / .- -..- --.. -..- -.- .-.. / .--. .-. --- -..- .. -- .- / -.-. . -. - .- ..- .-. ..

 

[Thunder Chicken]

I would rather expect something like that:

Greetings from the planet Djent!

More likely this:

.- -- .- --.. . / .... . .-. / .-- .. - .... / - .... .. ... / --- -. . / .-- . .. .-. -.. / - .-. .. -.-. -.- / - .... . / -.. --- -.-. - --- .-. ... / -.. --- -. .----. - / .-- .- -. - / -.-- --- ..- / - --- / -.- -. --- .-- / .- -... --- ..- -

 

[streb2001]

Back on the old M6 forum (anyone remember that?) I posted a Fermi* calculation showing that if we looked for a civilisation 400 light-years away broadcasting a TV signal we would only be receiving one photon every hundred million years. Someone checked the calculation and agreed with me. I just repeated it for Proxima and got about one radio photon every two minutes arriving at Earth. My calcs are maybe a bit naive. Would we be able to detect a meaningful signal from that?

* Fermi calc = back of envelope/order of magnitude calc.

I assumed 1MW TV signal radiating into space, 100MHz frequency and an inverse square reduction out to Proxima at 4 LY.

 

[Keatah]

How would we know that one photon was from the system? So, no..

 

[orb]

Universe Today: Is Proxima Centauri B Basically Kevin Costner’s Waterworld?

 

[Andy44]

And who knows? Someday, we may be able to send probes or crewed missions to the planet, and perhaps they will beam back images of sentient beings navigating vast oceans, looking for some fabled parcel of land they heard about? God I hope not! Once was more than enough!

Word.:lol:

 

[jedidia]

Word.:lol:

I actually liked that movie...

Anyways, 5000 simulations for possible mass compositions? Now that's thourough. Any chance I could borrow that code for a procedural generator?