There aren't that many stars near the ecliptic! The planes of the solar system and the galaxy intersect at about a 60 degree angle, so only where ecliptic and galactic equator cross (two places on the celestial sphere) are we actually looking into the galaxy. A search along the ecliptic would be pointing mainly into extragalactic space, and seeing only the few stars between us and the top or bottom of the plane of the Milky Way. Since the galaxy is only about a 1000 ly thick where we are located, we wouldn't be seeing far into it.
I would suggest we concentrate our search in the galactic plane itself, where we would be looking through several thousand light years of densely populated star fields. Beyond that, interstellar reddening would hide the fainter stars we would be looking for.
Space/Science » in reply to How to narrow the search for ETI
The only problem is...
The whole thread (25 posts)
- How to narrow the search for ETI
- Look at it in reverse. Figure out what we would need to do to TRANSMIT a signal to another life form.
- The best way to search for ETI
- That's logical...
- re: How to narrow the search for ETI
- The only problem is...
- Did you see the Benfords' papers?
- "Alien" life might be right here on Earth now