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4w ago

Airport Radar Leakage Broadcasts Earth’s Location to Alien Observers

These unintended emissions could serve as a universal sign of intelligent life from any technologically advanced planet equipped with radar

An image of London's Heathrow Airport, with an inset stock image of an alien. Radar systems used by civilian airports (like this at Heathrow) and military operations are inadvertently revealing our existence to potential advanced alien civilizations because of the hidden electromagnetic leakage they emit.
Alien civilizations hundreds of light years away may be able to lock in on Earth's radar systems
Aliens Up To 200 Light-Years Away Could Find Earth Thanks To Our Airports
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Overview

  • Preliminary results presented July 8 at the Royal Astronomical Society confirm that combined civilian and military airport radar emissions produce a 2×10^15-watt signal detectable up to 200 light-years away by telescopes like the Green Bank Telescope.
  • Military radar systems emit focused, lighthouse-like beams peaking at 1×10^14 watts that can appear up to a hundred times stronger depending on an observer’s location in space.
  • Simulations tracked leakage patterns toward nearby stars such as Barnard’s Star (6 light-years) and AU Microscopii (32 light-years) to assess how extraterrestrial observers might perceive Earth’s radar signatures.
  • The research indicates that any planet with a complex aviation radar network could inadvertently broadcast technosignatures revealing its intelligent inhabitants.
  • Investigators plan to use their modeling methods to improve radio spectrum protection, inform future radar system design and bolster planetary defense strategies.