Just for the sake of conversation, let’s say there are aliens out there. To further this discussion, let’s say they are approaching Earth. Do we assume they are friendly and welcome the beings with open arms? Perhaps we should just aim our sights and fire away. While the hippies and war mongering lunatics debate these two options, the introverts of science have devised a better plan: Hiding.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER HOW TO HIDE EARTH FROM ALIENS
Scientists at Columbia University have devised a way to both let aliens know we are here and also fool them from seeing us in the first place. The idea provides hope to many who fear contact with these technologically advanced aliens could mean the end of humanity as we know it. If the Europeans could devastate a race of people simply by bringing disease across the Atlantic, think what aliens light years away could do. The secret behind this stealth technology is actually not as intricate as it may sound.
HIDING WITH LASERS
These Columbia astronomers came up with a theory that a 30MW laser could cloak the visual signal of Earth as well as transmit a large amount of information between stars. This could allow us to search for intelligent alien life while simultaneously proceeding with caution. A 250MW laser would create a chromatic cloak of sorts. When Earth or other planets pass in front of a star, a dip in the brightness of that star occurs. This, in turn, makes the planet visible. Using lasers to mask this light would effectively hide us from detection.
HIDING WITHOUT AN ATMOSPHERE
Another clever way of hiding Earth is to simply trick someone into thinking our planet is a desolate wasteland. Scientists have gathered it would be remarkable easy to hide our vibrant atmosphere from aliens. Oxygen, as we known, is a sure sign of life. If some beings out there were able to detect oxygen on Earth, they’d be more likely to investigate. By replacing the light absorbed by oxygen in our atmosphere, we could trick anyone who’s looking our way into thinking there is nothing of value here. Of course, there’s always the theory that an alien race has found us long ago and is actually running our planet. That’s a story for a different time, though.
