A pioneering infrared scan of 100,000 galaxies by Penn State astronomer has failed to detect any sign of galaxy - sweep extraterrestrial supercivilizations . This result , though very preliminary , may be a sign that aliens are n’t capable of conquering entire galaxies .
Back in the 1960s , Russian cosmologist Nikolai Kardashev devise the famed scale that now bears his name . He proposed a simple numbering system — from one to three — that can be used to classify hypothetical foreign culture according to the amount of energy at their disposal . According to the scale of measurement , a K1 civ has capture the total energy yield of its home planet , while a K2 civ has tapped into all the tycoon produce by its home star .
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-measure-the-power-of-alien-civilizations-using-t-5986723
But then there are K3 civs — so - called supercivilizations — who have tapped into virtually all of the energy produced by their own extragalactic nebula . As subject field Centennial State - generator Jason Wright told io9 : “ Type III civilizations in the horse sense that Nikolai Kardashev originally defined them , were ‘ maximal ’ vim substance abuser : they command all of the starlight in their galaxy . ”
This could be accomplished by ETIs in any number of elbow room , including vast complexes ofDyson spheresand the institution ofMatrioshka Brains .
K3 civilisation should be fairly easy to discover from a length . According to rudimentary thermodynamics , the energy pulled in by a K3 civ must still be beam away as heat in the mid - infrared wavelengths . These galactic - scale signatures , though far aside , can still be detected from Earth .
Seeking Alien Signatures
With this in mind , a team of uranologist from Penn State latterly dispatch a view , know as the Glimpsing Heat from Alien Technologies Survey ( G - HAT ) , of 100,000 galaxies to see if they could find traces of galaxy - cross supercivilizations . Theirresultsnow seem in the Astrophysical Journal .
The G - HAT team , go by postbaccalaureate researcher Roger Griffith , analyzed much the intact catalog of detections made by NASA ’s WISE revolve observation tower . That ’s nearly 100 million entry . The researchers honed this list down to ~100,000 of the most promising candidates , looking for objects consistent with galaxies pass off too much mid - infrared radiation .
No obvious alien - filled galaxies were detected .
“ We have shown that among the 100,000 galaxies that WISE can adjudicate , none of them hold such civilizations , ” Wright told io9 . “ This does n’t think of , however , that there are not beetleweed - sweep civilisation in any of those galaxies , just that if there are , they are n’t using most of the starlight for their own purposes . ”
That aver , 50 wandflower did sport higher - than - common levels of mid - infrared radiotherapy . Further analysis will be required to specify if they ’re because of some natural astronomical physical process , or if they ’re an denotation of highly forward-looking extraterrestrial civilizations .
Whither K3?
This poses a bit of a job for astrobiologists . Back in 1975 , astronomer Michael H. Hart conjectured that super - ripe aliens should be capable to colonise an entire wandflower within a fairly myopic amount of time ( at least from a cosmological perspective ) . Either that or humanity is alone in the Milky Way . It ’s this line of reasoning that led the Penn State researchers to conduct their inter - galactic study .
“ There has been a line of argument , originating with Michael Hart , that there should not be any innovative civilization in the Milky Way , because if there were , they would have have over the full galaxy by now , ” Wright enjoin io9 . “ If this is right , then our hunting for civilization spanning other galaxies is the best approach . ”
Wright concede that there may be a defect in this abstract thought , bring that many well-thought-of SETI researcher believe it ’s incorrect .
“ So if , even as we polish our techniques , we continue to find no confidential information of intelligent liveliness pandemic to other galaxy , this would strengthen the debate of those who discord with Hart ’s arguing , and make search within our own milklike Way an even more promising venue , ” he add .
The Search Continues
The next stone’s throw for the G - HAT team is to scale things down a number to see if less energy - intensive civilizations might live in these galaxy . This is where Carl Sagan ’s accessory to the Kardashev Scale might derive in ready to hand .
“ On Sagan ’s scale , we want to push down from Type 3.0 to Type 2.9 or 2.8 , ” says Wright . “ That is , explore for civilizations using 10 % or even 1 % of the starlight in a galaxy . ”
Encouragingly , the new work shows that WISE has the sensitivity and resolution to do this , but as Wright told io9 , it would require thrifty interrogation of the light from these galaxies across the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum , and not just the emission WISE catch .
Also , the researchers require to cover their method to K2 civilizations . In other words , they desire to search for Dyson spheres and/or other megascale artifacts produced by in advance aliens .
“ This will require us to be capable to distinguish distant , dust-covered giant star from nearby , Sun - similar superstar with much of their starlight being collected by an advanced civilization , ” says Wright . “ This is very hard because it command spectra or length measuring , which we do not have for most star — but the ESA space scope GAIA will measure distances to all of the nearby stars , draw this search potential for the first meter . We look forth to using those data to prolong our hunt to the Milky Way . ”
Read the integral study at the Astrophysical Journal : “ The Ĝ Infrared Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations with with child Energy Supplies . III . The Reddest Extended Sources in WISE . ” .
AliensAstrobiologyAstronomyexobiologyScienceseti
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