Author Topic: Astronomers may have found giant alien 'megastructures' near Milky Way (Read 5951 times)

Headcrab Zombie · October 15, 2015, 11:02:55 PM

Quote from: devildogelite on October 15, 2015, 10:25:45 PM

How did an alien super structure become the most reasonable explanation for this? I don't understand

Sensationalist wording = more click = more ad revenue

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Dannu · October 15, 2015, 11:26:36 PM

Quote from: Lego lad on October 15, 2015, 10:31:59 PM

wait what
explain pls

Light is what we see as our surrounding. Light travels from there at the speed of light. Lightyear is a measure of distance of how many years it takes for light to travel that distance.

ShadowsfeaR · October 16, 2015, 12:03:59 AM

Quote from: sir dooble on October 15, 2015, 08:27:45 PM

It's 'celebrity' science, really.
Mention aliens as a concept, and people will pick it up quickly.

But most people aren't going to read the actual scientific paper that covers these findings.
That's probably much more likely.
The article Nonnel linked suggests that it may be a dense cloud of comets instead, which is also feasible.

Alien life isn't impossible, but it's too early to be getting our hopes up for it.

Article also says the star isn't young, so the collection of matter in orbit isn't in line with an older star. You'd see something like this if a solar system was being born (planetary formation, etc). This piece of information is the biggest quandary they have, and why a megastructure is actually on the table for consideration.

Kimon� · October 16, 2015, 11:54:25 AM

not only have the aliens beat us in making space megastructures first. but i have been beaten in posting this topic first. the AUDACITY.

sir dooble · October 16, 2015, 11:55:12 AM

Quote from: Kimon� on October 16, 2015, 11:54:25 AM

not only have the aliens beat us in making space megastructures first. but i have been beaten in posting this topic first. the AUDACITY.

You must have been abducted.
Do you feel like you lost time?

Kimon� · October 16, 2015, 11:59:12 AM

Quote from: sir dooble on October 16, 2015, 11:55:12 AM

You must have been abducted.
Do you feel like you lost time?

no its just i only go on the forums when i find cool stuff like this so i have the power to lock an ongoing discussion. i'll never do it, but just knowing that i can lock it abruptly is enough for me.

also its literally impossible for intelligent life to not be out there somewhere, but the idea that it could be 'within our reach' is exciting. does anyone ever clarify how far away it is, maybe if we're seeing something that happened like 100 years ago?

shitlord · October 16, 2015, 12:01:17 PM

its not literally impossible that the entire universe is sterile besides our little solar system
the odds are completely against that, though.

sir dooble · October 16, 2015, 12:01:24 PM

Quote from: Kimon� on October 16, 2015, 11:59:12 AM

no its just i only go on the forums when i find cool stuff like this so i have the power to lock an ongoing discussion. i'll never do it, but just knowing that i can lock it abruptly is enough for me.

also its literally impossible for intelligent life to not be out there somewhere, but the idea that it could be 'within our reach' is exciting. does anyone ever clarify how far away it is, maybe if we're seeing something that happened like 100 years ago?

1480 light years away.
The light from us reaching them is that of 534-5 AD.

Kimon� · October 16, 2015, 12:03:06 PM

Quote from: sir dooble on October 16, 2015, 12:01:24 PM

1480 light years away.
The light from us reaching them is that of 534-5 AD.

Zoinks!

Quote from: stufflord on October 16, 2015, 12:01:17 PM

its not literally impossible that the entire universe is sterile besides our little solar system
the odds are completely against that, though.

i used it as a bit of a hyperbole, but the chances that it is sterile are so small that it's not worth considering, really. what's worth considering is that we won't be able to reach them, though

Xealyth · October 16, 2015, 12:55:59 PM

people believing there is no life outside of earth makes me suggest how depressing those people are tbh
no faith at all smh

Ipquarx · October 16, 2015, 02:50:16 PM

Quote from: Kimon� on October 16, 2015, 12:03:06 PM

the chances that it is sterile are so small that it's not worth considering, really.

Except nobody knows the chance that it's sterile and it's still possible the universe is finite, so it IS worth considering

devildogelite · October 16, 2015, 04:05:50 PM

Quote from: Headcrab Zombie on October 15, 2015, 11:02:55 PM

Sensationalist wording = more click = more ad revenue

This one really pisses me off because everyone is acting like some kind of science went into saying it's an "alien megastructure". Like it's just complete bullstuff

ShadowsfeaR · October 16, 2015, 04:20:18 PM

Quote from: devildogelite on October 16, 2015, 04:05:50 PM

This one really pisses me off because everyone is acting like some kind of science went into saying it's an "alien megastructure". Like it's just complete bullstuff

Did you read the article? The best we can point out is that we just don't know. There probably isn't a science to this to figure it out, but we. Don't. Know. But it's fun to theorize, right?

carolcat · October 16, 2015, 04:20:32 PM

Quote from: Blue Screen on October 15, 2015, 06:35:26 AM

Or else we're gonna get forgeted by Aliens.

i can go for that

Bricknave · October 16, 2015, 04:21:24 PM

I can't shake the feeling that it is probably something mundane, but yet if I knew it was an alien megastructure, I wouldn't be extremely surprised. Either way, we won't know for sure for a long time.