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I would love it if some people more knowledgeable on the subject of radio communication could waffle a bit about this subject.
Supposing there were intelligent creatures on a planet orbiting the Sun's nearest neighbour, and supposing they used radio communication.
Based on my knowledge, even if you had patience worth four-and-a-bit years for your message to get there (and the same for the reply--huh, they'd better not think too long about it), you could never communicate with them because the signal is just way too weak.
Now, supposing they took themselves off their planet and came this way, how close would they need to get before anyone could conceivably, give or take a bit of newfangled technology, communicate with them? This assuming that we know where the approaching ship is.
My admittedly uneducated guess is--hmmm--about 5-6 light hours?
Apart from the distance, it will depend on:
- signal strength and focus (I'm assuming signals would be focused)
- antenna size
- wavelength? (I'm not sure)
Can someone here waffle a bit about what I'd need to consider. I'm not afraid of formulae. In fact, a formula or two would be great.
Supposing there were intelligent creatures on a planet orbiting the Sun's nearest neighbour, and supposing they used radio communication.
Based on my knowledge, even if you had patience worth four-and-a-bit years for your message to get there (and the same for the reply--huh, they'd better not think too long about it), you could never communicate with them because the signal is just way too weak.
Now, supposing they took themselves off their planet and came this way, how close would they need to get before anyone could conceivably, give or take a bit of newfangled technology, communicate with them? This assuming that we know where the approaching ship is.
My admittedly uneducated guess is--hmmm--about 5-6 light hours?
Apart from the distance, it will depend on:
- signal strength and focus (I'm assuming signals would be focused)
- antenna size
- wavelength? (I'm not sure)
Can someone here waffle a bit about what I'd need to consider. I'm not afraid of formulae. In fact, a formula or two would be great.