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'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

space.com

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Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#221
For those saying that resonance explains the phenomenon, the paper doesn't seem to say that the 'mathamatically perfect' orbits are signs of intelligence:

... the star HD 110067 has six sub-Neptune planets, all of which orbit their host star in a stable resonant chain. As the brightest star known to have at least four planets, with all planets in a remarkably ordered orbital configuration, HD 110067 offers an unprecedented opportunity to study the orbital evolution of planetary systems and the atmospheric compositions of sub-Neptunes. Three of the planets have low densities which suggest large, hydrogen-rich atmospheres. Sub-Neptune planets are one of the most common types of exoplanet discovered to date, so the question of whether they could support liquid water is crucial for target prioritization in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

...

... HD 110067 is valuable as a technosignature target not only because of its interest for biosignature searches. First, Earth views the system edge-on, which increases the likelihood of detecting radiation from any transmitters present whether intentional (Traas et al. 2021) or resulting from planet-to-planet transmissions which could be observed by their "spillover" during planet–planet occultations (Ashtari 2023); second, the large number of planets regardless of their position in the star's habitable zone increases the likelihood that an advanced civilization could have spread technology to neighboring planets, as has happened in our own solar system (Wright et al. 2022).

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ad235f

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#222
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t that the expected outcome when energy production eventually outpaces the planet’s ability to dissipate energy into space?

No. The temperature of the atmosphere has nothing to do with whether or not aliens are harvesting the energy. At equilibrium, all of the incoming energy has to get radiated back out into space eventually whether there are aliens harvesting that energy or not. The problem with an atmosphere hotter than lava is that very few materials are solid at those temperatures, and it's hard to imagine how a civilization could bu…

Those liquid green aliens are probably looking at us and going "how can life exist with so much matter in solid form and so cold”.

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#223

Reminds me of Titius–Bode law[1], where simple equation correctly gave orbits of all the known planets, while predicting one more in asteroid belt and correct distance to Uranus. Only was considered disproven when Neptune didn't work. I would not trust these relations even existing (other than by pure chance). Even less I'd trust any intelligent design behind it [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titius%E2%80%93Bode_l…

I'd suppose the astronomers behind this study know that "law" also, and ruled it out.

Not very far fetched, in my opinion.

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They offer no hint why transiting the star could help us pick up radio transmissions. If they mean the planet going behind the star (being "occulted") would cut off the radio signal while it is back there, they should say that instead.

The piece seemed a bit wooly to me. This bit caused a little twinge of pain: Signals from such a transmitter placed on a planet spinning around a foreign star would drift in time when observed from Earth, "the same as when an ambulance goes past you, the sound of it shifts from very high to very low" What's wrong with saying Doppler, frequency, or pitch maybe?

So, it is nothing about transiting, and all about us being close to the ecliptic plane of the system. Being a little off the ecliptic, so there were no transits or even occultations, would barely affect Doppler measurements.

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#225

I've often thought planet TrEs-2b [0], the darkest planet ever discovered orbiting a star, would be the best candidate for extra terrestrial life. My theory is that its darkness is down to the fact that the civilisation there has figured out a way to harness solar energy to near 100% capacity, along the lines of a Dyson sphere [1]. [0] https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/1716/tres-2-b [1] https://en.wikiped…

That would be a strong alien to deal with 1.5 Jupiter gravity :)

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#226
post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s an interesting exoplanet, though not sure how someone would live on a gas giant.

Presumably gas planets have a layer dense enough that a solid would float.

And not melt?

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#227
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As detailed in the companion article [1], for every 54 orbits of planet 1, planets 2..6 orbit 36, 24, 16, 12, and 8 times respectively, giving successive ratios of 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 3/4 and 3/4. After those 54 planet 1 orbits, all planets are in the same relative position. [1] https://www.space.com/six-sub-neptunes-found-100-light-years...

It is not at all clear to me why the harmonics makes it any more worth searching for aliens than any other solar system. a) Why would aliens expend the enormous energy required to engineer this? b) Isn't it vastly more likely to occur naturally as some sort of resonance effect?

> Why would aliens expend the enormous energy required to engineer this?

So there are these great big buildings in Egypt...

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#228
post #47
post #17

What is the "mathematically perfect" aspect of this system? I don't see it in the article.

As detailed in the companion article [1], for every 54 orbits of planet 1, planets 2..6 orbit 36, 24, 16, 12, and 8 times respectively, giving successive ratios of 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 3/4 and 3/4. After those 54 planet 1 orbits, all planets are in the same relative position. [1] https://www.space.com/six-sub-neptunes-found-100-light-years...

The last ratio should be 2/3 again.

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#229
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t that the expected outcome when energy production eventually outpaces the planet’s ability to dissipate energy into space?

No. The temperature of the atmosphere has nothing to do with whether or not aliens are harvesting the energy. At equilibrium, all of the incoming energy has to get radiated back out into space eventually whether there are aliens harvesting that energy or not. The problem with an atmosphere hotter than lava is that very few materials are solid at those temperatures, and it's hard to imagine how a civilization could bu…

The protomolecule was able to build structures on Venus. Then again, if your civilization was over a billion years old, all sorts of things might become possible.

That being said, it’s never actually aliens in astronomy. So far, anyway.

Re: 'Mathematically perfect' star system being investigated for potential alien tech

#230
post #228
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As detailed in the companion article [1], for every 54 orbits of planet 1, planets 2..6 orbit 36, 24, 16, 12, and 8 times respectively, giving successive ratios of 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 3/4 and 3/4. After those 54 planet 1 orbits, all planets are in the same relative position. [1] https://www.space.com/six-sub-neptunes-found-100-light-years...

The last ratio should be 2/3 again.

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