NASA says finding aliens on other planets is challenging, here’s why

NASA scientists found that detecting techoenergy signatures from solar panels may not help find proof of alien life.

Conceptual image of an exoplanet with an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. (Image credit: NASA)

In their continued search for extraterrestrial life, NASA researchers considered looking for solar panels on a nearby exoplanet using a next-generation space telescope. However, the researchers had to abandon the idea because if aliens do exist, they would have probably evolved enough to move away from solar energy.

At the outset, the study was based on the assumption that extraterrestrial beings would harvest solar energy from the star nearest to them as a power source. Hence, they explored the detection of silicon-based solar panels on Earth-like exoplanets. Why silicon-based solar panels? Because the element is available in abundance, easy to mine, costs less, and can be used to capture solar energy, according to a report by Gizmodo.

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In order to put their theory to test, the research team of the US space agency created a model of an Earth-like planet whose surface was covered by solar panels with varying levels of silicon in them. They wanted to see if the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which is a space telescope specifically designed to look for signs of alien life, could verify the existence of such solar panel tech 30 light-years away.

So, what did they find?

Unfortunately, the NASA team found that such technosignatures would only be detected by the space telescope if 23 per cent of that particular exoplanet’s surface was covered by solar panels. Even if it was, it would take the telescope several hundred years to catch it.

Furthermore, the researchers theorised that this particular scenario is highly improbable as only covering 9 per cent of an Earth-like planet’s surface would be sufficient to meet the energy demands of 30 billion beings.

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“The implication is that civilizations may not feel compelled to expand all over the galaxy because they may achieve sustainable population and energy-usage levels even if they choose a very high standard of living,” Ravi Kopparapu, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said.

“They may expand within their own stellar system, or even within nearby star systems, but galaxy-spanning civilizations may not exist,” he added.

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“Large-scale stellar-energy harvesting structures may especially be obsolete when considering technological advances,” Vincent Kofman, another researcher on the team, explained. “Surely a society that can place enormous structures in space would be able to access nuclear fusion or other space-efficient methods of generating power,” he further said.