Are aliens using a quirk of the sun’s gravity to transmit information through an interstellar communication network? For the first time ever, astronomers explored this intriguing possibility and scanned for signals coming from hidden nonhuman probes orbiting the sun.
So far, the method hasn’t turned up signs of spacefaring aliens, but it represents a promising new avenue of hunting for aliens as part of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
The new search strategy rests on the findings of Albert Einstein, who showed in 1915 that gravity warps the fabric of space-time. This means that massive objects, like stars and galaxies, bend light around them. This effect, known as gravitational lensing, allows scientists to see extremely distant objects whose light has been warped by enormous foreground galaxies and galactic clusters.
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
