?Do aliens use a starburst as a means of communication with Earth
Perhaps an alien civilization seeking to communicate with Earth will send coordinated signals in the direction of the supernova in the hope that humans will pick up their signals as well (Getty Images)
Astronomers identify the elliptical region around the supernova found that aliens might send signals to.
Scientists are watching a star close to our galaxy at the end of its life because they suspect that its starburst may lead us to receive messages from aliens .
The type II supernova SN2023ixf, which marks the end of the massive star's life, is the closest such explosion to Earth found in more than a decade. The star was discovered last month by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki, as it was found along one of the spiral arms of the Pinwheel galaxy, about 21 million light-years from Earth.
Observatories around the world are already studying the supernova to see how its spectrum has evolved over time to help astronomers better understand the physics of such explosions.
And in a new study that has not yet been peer-reviewed, scientists suggest that aliens, if they exist, might also use the exploding star as an opportunity to send a message to other civilizations.
The researchers previously developed a theory about the basis for using important cosmic events such as supernovae in the search for signals from extraterrestrial factors . This is based on the idea that unusual events such as the explosion of a massive star will arouse human attention, and perhaps an alien civilization seeking to contact Earth may send coordinated signals in the direction of the supernova in the hope that humans will pick up their signals as well.
Astronomers, including scientists from the University of Washington in the US, suspect that the recently discovered supernova 2023ixf (the closest type II supernova in more than a decade) could serve as an important reference event in this regard.
They have now identified an elliptical region of space called SETI, an elliptical region around the supernova, which will provide aliens living on potentially habitable planets with a clear view of both the supernova and Earth.
The researchers found about 100 stars in this region visible from Earth that may transmit messages when we watch the star go out in an explosion.
"We found that more than 100 stars within 100 blocks are already close to the SETI Ellipsoid intersection, providing several targets for real-time observation within approximately three magnitudes of SN2023ixf," the scientists wrote in the study.
Scientists are embarking on a campaign to monitor the signals of these target stars using the Allen Telescope Array in San Francisco and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia in hopes of picking up on possible alien contacts.
Such stellar outbursts occur only in stars more than eight times the mass of the Sun and can shine for several months, providing a large time window for an alien civilization eager to communicate with Earth.
"We plan to revisit the ellipsoid once a month over the next few months as new stars enter the model, and we are open to synchronizing our observations," the scientists wrote in the study.
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