The explosion of the supernova SN 2023ixf, discovered by Japanese astronomers, turned out to be not only an interesting phenomenon in space, but also provided new perspectives for the search for extraterrestrial life.
A team of scientists from the University of Washington, the SETI Institute, Yale University and Smith College have discovered that alien civilizations can use such supernova explosions to draw attention to themselves. This is reported in the journal arXiv.
The researchers proposed an interesting hypothesis that aliens can specifically synchronize the signals sent into space with the moments of supernova explosions.
Such signals may be an attempt to establish contact with other civilizations and draw attention to themselves. Therefore, supernovae become even more attractive for the search for life outside the Earth.
One example of such a supernova is SN 2023ixf, which exploded in the Pinwheel galaxy, located at a distance of 21 million light-years from us. The light from the explosion will be visible for a long time, from several months to several years.
It is this duration of the light event that allows scientists to study the vicinity of the supernova and pay attention to the SETI ellipsoid.
The SETI ellipsoid is a region of space spanning about a hundred stars where researchers expect to detect signals sent in response to a supernova explosion.
The shape of the ellipsoid is determined by the time frame during which researchers on Earth and aliens will be able to see the light signals from the explosion. The study of the vicinity of the supernova is planned to be carried out by a team of scientists once a month for the next few months.
This approach to the search for extraterrestrial life opens up prospects and raises exciting questions. Will we be able to capture the signals from the SETI ellipsoid? Is it possible to establish contact with alien civilizations? If so, what will these signals be and what can they tell us?
Future observations and research will allow scientists to gain a deeper understanding of supernovae and their potential connection to the search for alien life.
