Harnessing Energy: What Would Alien Engineering Look Like?

[ABHoT]

If an alien life form had tinkered with the positions of stella bodies of some kind for the purposes of harnessing energy, or for any other reason, what would evidence of that look like to an observer, i.e., us?

 

[Matterwave]

We wouldn't be able to tell a difference. Getting energy from gravitational assists for example will alter the rotation or orbit of an astrophysical object; however, I don't believe we could tell after the fact that the orbit/rotation was altered.

There are (theoretical) energy harnessing technologies which we may be able to see the effects of. One of the more fantastical ones is a Dyson sphere which captures all the energy/radiation given out by a star. In this case, we would see the gravity of the star affecting the surrounding area, but we wouldn't be able to see the light. We may infer that this object is not a black hole by looking at the density implied by the orbits of the planets around it. These kinds of things are still quite far away imo haha.

 

[ABHoT]

In Brief History of Time there is mention of towing a white dwarf using matter as a kind of dangling carrot. I know this is fanciful for us but I'm thinking if a human can imagine it, maybe a more advanced alien race could actually do it.

 

[Matterwave]

Well, if we see 1 big ball of mass moving in a line "towing" a white dwarf, we may suspect something. But I'm saying you wouldn't be able to tell the difference AFTER the fact. Since you don't know the initial velocity, you can't be sure that the altered orbit wasn't the original orbit in the first place.

 

[sardar]

I find the concept of alien engineering to be fascinating and thought-provoking. If an alien life form were to manipulate the positions of stellar bodies for the purpose of harnessing energy, it would likely leave behind some evidence that we, as observers, could potentially detect.

Firstly, we would see a pattern of unusual and precise alignments among the stellar bodies that would be hard to explain through natural processes alone. This could include stars moving in synchrony or forming geometric shapes in the sky. These patterns would suggest intentional manipulation rather than random chance.

We may also observe changes in the energy output of these stellar bodies. If the aliens were successful in harnessing energy, we would expect to see a decrease in energy emissions from the manipulated stars and potentially an increase in energy emissions from other sources, such as planets or moons.

Another potential piece of evidence could be the presence of advanced technology in the vicinity of these manipulated stars. This could include large structures or machines that would be necessary for harnessing the energy and transferring it to the alien civilization.

In addition, we may detect unusual signals or transmissions coming from these stellar bodies, which could be a form of communication or control used by the alien engineers.

Overall, evidence of alien engineering for the purpose of harnessing energy would likely be a combination of precise alignments, changes in energy emissions, advanced technology, and potential signals or transmissions. However, it is important to note that without direct contact or communication with these alien life forms, it would be difficult to definitively confirm their existence or intentions. As scientists, it is important to approach these concepts with an open mind and continue to study and gather evidence to further our understanding of the universe and potential extraterrestrial life.