Science & Technology
Physicist and independent SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) researcher James Benford posited that nearby asteroids that track with Earth's orbit - also known as co-orbitals - would make the ideal place for an otherworldly spy post. He published his findings, titled "Looking for Lurkers," in the peer-reviewed Astronomical Journal last month.
"A probe located nearby could bide its time while our civilisation developed technology that could find it, and, once contacted, could undertake a conversation in real time," Benford wrote in the paper.
In his paper, Benford not only offers "possible sites for extraterrestrial probes," but suggests ways researchers might look for evidence of the alien tech, ranging from using optical and radio telescopes to sending a spacecraft outright.
Given its close and constant presence near Earth, one might think the moon would make a better spy station than more distant co-orbitals, but Benford said any particular section of the moon's surface is "in darkness for two weeks at a time," depriving any probe of the solar energy it might need to function. Placing the probes too close to Earth might also pose a problem, as Benford argues the ETs would likely wish to remain undetected.
The closest co-orbital asteroid appears to be in a stable orbit that will track with Earth for centuries. While there is still much to be learned about the bodies, Benford said they would make a good vantage point for an alien probe if they held steady orbits over long periods of time.
While Benford acknowledges the idea is a long shot, he says there is nothing to lose in taking a look, and only new knowledge to gain.
"If we don't find anything, that means no one has come to look at the life of Earth for over billions of years," Benford said. "That is a big surprise, a stunning thing."
Paul Davies, a physicist and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, also had his doubts about finding alien surveillance technology anywhere in Earth's neighborhood, but said it would be beneficial for science to check it out anyway.
"How likely is it that alien probe would be on one of these co-orbitals, obviously extremely unlikely," Davies told Live Science "But if it costs very little to go take a look, why not? Even if we don't find E.T., we might find something of interest."
Reader Comments
R.C.
It is the code of 'non-interference' that prevents them, in most cases, from intervening - only in extreme cases will they become involved. At least this is the case for the 'benevolent' ones... The malicious ones are another story altogether, but they are limited in how they can act without creating negative effects upon themselves.
Also recognize that our currently observable physical (vibrational) Reality exists in it's own space-time continuum, and that there are other civilizations all around us at all 'times', that exist in their own vibrational Reality, not observable to us. With the right technology, these other Realities can 'look into' or 'move into' our own Reality as necessary. (this is essentially what is happening with Any 'outside entity' that becomes visible to us. There are those in the 'secret space program' that use this technology right now - as can be sometimes seen in some videos of the TR-3B)
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But ain't that just the way most folks will react? Close minded idiots! (For example, around 1890? some idiot legislator -pardon the redundancy - proposed doing away with the Patent Office as all things that 'could be invented, had already been invented.' )
That is but an old example of most people's programmed reactions to things they can't comprehend.
R.C.
"A probe located nearby could bide its time while our civilisation developed technology that could find it, and, once contacted, could undertake a conversation in real time," Benford wrote in the paper.
In his paper, Benford not only offers "possible sites for extraterrestrial probes," but suggests ways researchers might look for evidence of the alien tech, ranging from using optical and radio telescopes to sending a spacecraft outright.
Well I guess he never watched John Carpenter's movie...They Live.
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Looks to me that so called aliens, have been living with us for a long time, as for a discourse, how can one have a discourse, with a species, that looks like us, talks like us, but they behave in a way that is totally different from the vast majority of humanity.
No, they are amongst us - they live !!!