Energy bursts in space could be from UFOs
MysTeRious flashes of energy seen in distant galaxies could be evidence of alien spacecraft, scientists claim.
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are intense energy pulses that last less than a millisecond. since they were discovered in 2007, fewer than two dozen FRBs have been detected and it is not yet known what causes them.
Now Harvard researchers have examined what it would take to create such a large burst of energy and suggest that what we see may be a means of powering alien spacecraft.
Professor Avi Loeb said: ‘We haven’t identified a possible natural source with any confidence. An artificial origin is worth contemplating.’
Professor Loeb and Dr Manasvi Lingam looked at the feasibility of building a radio transmitter powerful enough to be detectable across such immense distances.
They concluded that it would need a solar panel with an area around twice that of earth in order to generate the energy needed to make it work.
suggesting why a civilisation would build such a structure in the first place, they said it could be a means of powering spacecraft with light sails. These sails are a theorised method of propelling a spacecraft using energy from light. While light only provides a very slight push, there is almost no friction in space meaning a beam could propel the ships quickly over great distances.
The transmitter would need to follow the ship, explaining why we can only see the bursts for short periods as the beam sweeps across the sky.
The energy levels seen in FRBs would be enough to push a spacecraft with a mass 20 times that of the
‘It’s a matter of evidence’
largest cruise ship on earth. ‘That’s big enough to carry living passengers across interstellar or even intergalactic distances,’ said Dr Lingam.
Writing in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the researchers said that FRBs have made repeat appearances that cannot be explained by natural events, suggesting they are artificial.
Professor Loeb added: ‘science isn’t a matter of belief, it’s a matter of evidence. Deciding what’s likely ahead of time, limits the possibilities. it’s worth putting ideas out there and letting the data be the judge.’