BARD@MIT-XX.ARPA (08/06/85)
From: Bard Bloom <BARD@MIT-XX.ARPA> There aren't all that many stars close to us. Anyone visiting Sol with the intent of visiting us probably found out about us by old radio shows, and they haven't been flying around for all that long -- and I don't know how easy it would be to detect them over solar radiation, and even cosmic background noise. Our neighbors, if any, probably don't know we're here. Does anyone know whether OZMA could detect Earth at the distances it's using? Also, anyone visiting us would have to be close in time as well as space. Now, 1,000 years is barely noticable on astronomic time scales (most of the time, anyways). There's enough randomness in evolution that, if two planets evolve life at the same instant (Please, no flames about simultaneity!), and the life follows similar patterns, they probably won't evolve sentient life within 1,000 years of each other. I'd be suprised if there were anyone else within listening distance of us. -------