Canopus Posted July 1, 2016 #1 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Hello. The question is: If one’s goal was to contact a technologically superior extraterrestrial being/civilization, what would be the best way for him to achieve this goal? Should he try to become an ufologist, a physicist, an astronomer, a planetary scientist, a politician, a religious leader, a military commander, something else? Which field should he specialize in precisely? Note that I said “technologically superior”, so discovering microbial extraterrestrial life doesn’t cut it at all. Also note that I said “contact”, so discovering a super-advanced extraterrestrial being/civilization more than 50 light years away probably doesn’t cut it either because you’ll never be able to “contact” them and get an answer within your lifetime; except if the technologically superior extraterrestrial being/civilization knows how to time travel, but since we don’t know if that’s even physically possible it might be a little risky to bet on the feasibility of time travel. Thanks in advance for your answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeder Posted July 2, 2016 #2 Share Posted July 2, 2016 5 minutes ago, Canopus said: Hello. The question is: If one’s goal was to contact a technologically superior extraterrestrial being/civilization, what would be the best way for him to achieve this goal? Should he try to become an ufologist, a physicist, an astronomer, a planetary scientist, a politician, a religious leader, a military commander, something else? Which field should he specialize in precisely? REALITY is a good place to start when a bird sings in the trees can you understand the song? No! Thats how it will be with aliens. Besides with our 'young' level of tech...it will likely be them contacting us, not the other way round.....plus you have presumed....that aliens even exist to start with.....when there is no such evidence at all... best get another hobby/interest 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XenoFish Posted July 2, 2016 #3 Share Posted July 2, 2016 We haven't made contact with advanced alien life. I doubt we ever will and I think it would be best if to focus on something functional as a career. Leave the ufo hunting as a hobby. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitat Posted July 2, 2016 #4 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Just play that Carpenters song.......... Poor darling could not overcome more down-to-Earth problems though. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorvir Posted July 2, 2016 #5 Share Posted July 2, 2016 If aliens are actually technologically superior to us, and can understand our message. If aliens want to be contacted, and actually care what we have to say. If there are aliens to be contacted, close enough for us to contact--or, heck, if there are any other aliens anywhere to be contacted. Many "ifs" at the moment. But the best way for us, at this time, is to just keep continuing on as we have been, until some new way is discovered. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jethrofloyd Posted July 2, 2016 #6 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Alien Paul know the answer.. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qxcontinuum Posted July 6, 2016 #7 Share Posted July 6, 2016 this is a very interesting and unique question. It looks to me all the fields mentioned should apply, including having faith to continue the search and power to use resources and send anything above earth including waves. The problem will be establishing communication ways.Expecting aliens to be able to decode waves that we emit is really silly. It won't work. I'll say use whatever exists mostly in universe, gas i believe hydrogen or dark matter if can be studied and look for other methods 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badeskov Posted July 6, 2016 #8 Share Posted July 6, 2016 On 7/1/2016 at 4:56 PM, Canopus said: Hello. The question is: If one’s goal was to contact a technologically superior extraterrestrial being/civilization, what would be the best way for him to achieve this goal? Should he try to become an ufologist, a physicist, an astronomer, a planetary scientist, a politician, a religious leader, a military commander, something else? Which field should he specialize in precisely? Note that I said “technologically superior”, so discovering microbial extraterrestrial life doesn’t cut it at all. Also note that I said “contact”, so discovering a super-advanced extraterrestrial being/civilization more than 50 light years away probably doesn’t cut it either because you’ll never be able to “contact” them and get an answer within your lifetime; except if the technologically superior extraterrestrial being/civilization knows how to time travel, but since we don’t know if that’s even physically possible it might be a little risky to bet on the feasibility of time travel. Thanks in advance for your answers. Please define what you think an UFOlogist is...and what is a planetary scientist? And you certainly can't be serious when you suggest a religious leader or a politician. And what good would a military leader be? Cheers, Badeskov 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetpumper Posted July 6, 2016 #9 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Smoke signals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc14 Posted July 6, 2016 #10 Share Posted July 6, 2016 We have no idea if there even is a superior civilization out there so no way to aim anything at them and regardless, we don't know of anything that can travel faster than light and this is how far a radio signal has traveled in the last 200 years. Your question is moot. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc14 Posted July 6, 2016 #11 Share Posted July 6, 2016 We have no idea if there even is a superior civilization out there so no way to aim anything at them and regardless, we don't know of anything that can travel faster than light and this is how far a radio signal has traveled in the last 200 years. Your question is moot. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susanc241 Posted July 6, 2016 #12 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Thanks for that graphic, Merc, it really brings home how vast everything is. Mind boggling, really. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badeskov Posted July 6, 2016 #13 Share Posted July 6, 2016 15 minutes ago, Merc14 said: We have no idea if there even is a superior civilization out there so no way to aim anything at them and regardless, we don't know of anything that can travel faster than light and this is how far a radio signal has traveled in the last 200 years. Your question is moot. Great perspective, Merc....and that is about as far as any signals that we can currently generate here on Earth will travel. Not that such signals were emitted 200 years ago. Cheers, Badeskov 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc14 Posted July 6, 2016 #14 Share Posted July 6, 2016 (edited) 27 minutes ago, badeskov said: Great perspective, Merc....and that is about as far as any signals that we can currently generate here on Earth will travel. Not that such signals were emitted 200 years ago. Cheers, Badeskov Adam Grossman, who drew it up originally, used it as a way to illustrate how far the first radio signal would travel even if it hadn't attenuated to the point of undetectable by the 100 LY let alone 200 LY range (100 LY would be so small it is hard to see at all). http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/3390.html You're right though, if we sent our most powerful radio signal today that is how far away it would be 200 years from now. As said above, better look for a different profession Edited July 6, 2016 by Merc14 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseCuster Posted July 6, 2016 #15 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Nitpick: If the yellow circle is 200 light years in diameter then it depicts how far radio signals would have travelled in the past 100 years, not 200. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc14 Posted July 6, 2016 #16 Share Posted July 6, 2016 1 hour ago, JesseCuster said: Nitpick: If the yellow circle is 200 light years in diameter then it depicts how far radio signals would have travelled in the past 100 years, not 200. I thought the same thing but he made it a two hundred year circle (at least that is what I read a couple years ago). I am guessing because he couldn't get the "paintbrush tip" in Photoshop any smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseCuster Posted July 7, 2016 #17 Share Posted July 7, 2016 14 hours ago, Merc14 said: I thought the same thing but he made it a two hundred year circle (at least that is what I read a couple years ago). I am guessing because he couldn't get the "paintbrush tip" in Photoshop any smaller. Not really my point. The diagram in the thread specifically marks the circle as being 200 light years in diameter. Therefore it has a radius of 100 light years so it will have taken radio signals 100 years to get from the centre (earth) to the edge of the circle, not 200. But I was just being nitpicky. A circle (sphere really) of diameter X light years in diameter represents how far a radio signal could have travelled in X/2 years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseCuster Posted July 7, 2016 #18 Share Posted July 7, 2016 On 7/6/2016 at 4:41 AM, qxcontinuum said: The problem will be establishing communication ways.Expecting aliens to be able to decode waves that we emit is really silly. It won't work. I'll say use whatever exists mostly in universe, gas i believe hydrogen or dark matter if can be studied and look for other methods How do you communicate with aliens using hydrogen gas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc14 Posted July 7, 2016 #19 Share Posted July 7, 2016 3 hours ago, JesseCuster said: Not really my point. The diagram in the thread specifically marks the circle as being 200 light years in diameter. Therefore it has a radius of 100 light years so it will have taken radio signals 100 years to get from the centre (earth) to the edge of the circle, not 200. But I was just being nitpicky. A circle (sphere really) of diameter X light years in diameter represents how far a radio signal could have travelled in X/2 years. Spot on! I was missing that and you are absolutely correct Jesse. Thanks! His original diagram was a bubble 200 light years across which matches the first radio signal going out 100 or so years ago(hits self in head). Actually not a nitpick at all IMHO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurzweil Posted July 7, 2016 #20 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Adam Grossman spfff I made a vinegar and baking soda volcano in the fourth grade. Let's see him top that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatus1 Posted July 7, 2016 #21 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I would say physicist, however, that is similar to asking what one should study in order to build a skyscraper and responding "DIY". Simply put, the chances of us even having touched upon the basic concept for a means of interstellar communication probably has not occurred yet, let alone any actual theories of it, and forget any actual equipment. The closest we can do know is try to figure out what we would say to show that we are actually intelligent and sentient. I imagine a sequence of mathematical axioms would work for the first, but I am not so sure about the second? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilly Posted July 7, 2016 #22 Share Posted July 7, 2016 5 hours ago, aquatus1 said: The closest we can do know is try to figure out what we would say to show that we are actually intelligent and sentient. I imagine a sequence of mathematical axioms would work for the first, but I am not so sure about the second? I don't know either...but one thing's for sure: Don't tell them anything about our political systems. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseCuster Posted July 8, 2016 #23 Share Posted July 8, 2016 23 hours ago, Merc14 said: Spot on! I was missing that and you are absolutely correct Jesse. Thanks! His original diagram was a bubble 200 light years across which matches the first radio signal going out 100 or so years ago(hits self in head). Actually not a nitpick at all IMHO. Which makes sense as a timespan to use as it was about 100 years ago that we started generating significant amounts of radio signals that would have leaked out into space. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naturalmiztic Posted July 9, 2016 #24 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Try for an internship at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PersonFromPorlock Posted July 10, 2016 #25 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Well, considering some of the misuses I've seen the word "advanced" put to, you might consider a bustier. Even in you're a guy. Especially if you're a guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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