RE: starship-design: RE: Bugs again

["L. Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

> In a message dated 10/17/98 2:58:54 PM, nlindber@u.washington.edu wrote:
>
> >	Lee,
> >I recall reading (somewhere, but it was a book) that at radio
> frequencies,
> >the earth's artificial emissions are several orders of magnitude brighter
> >than the sun.  Did that person say they would be /undetectable/ or simply
> >unreadable.  If the latter, then we may still stick out as a G class star
> >that is _very_ bright at radio frequencies.
> >Nels
>
> I remember reading that as well.
>
> Kelly

Don't make me get out my slide rule...Its an inverse square law people, if
you don't know the equation, I can provide it. Take the lowest possible
signal that we can _detect_, divide it by 100 just for general principles
(to make all of you super alien technology people happy) work through the
equation backward and tell me what you get.

If you don't want to do the math I will summarize it for you: IF you took
the entire output of a medium size nuclear weapon and radiated it at just
ONE frequency, it wouldn't be detectable at even fifty light years away.

Lee