Science Mail Online Alien Hunting 1 Billion Telescope Could Be Ready In Just 5 Years ~ Ovni News

Science Mail Online All the latest UK and international science and technology news, video and pictures from the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday // via fulltextrssfeed.com Alien-hunting 1 billion telescope could be ready in just 5 years Jun 10th 2013, 15:03 * The Colossus telescope would be twice the size of any existing lens and could spot cities and other signs of life on planets up to 70 light years away * It would be able to detect local heat created by extraterrestrial beings and doesn't rely on alien races sending out signals By Victoria Woollaston PUBLISHED: 21:12 EST, 9 June 2013 UPDATED: 10:03 EST, 10 June 2013 40 shares 35 Viewcomments Astronomers believe that the best way of finding extraterrestrial life could be to look for the heat that other civilizations produce using a mega telescope. And such a device has already been planned. Space.com reports that the huge 250-foot telescope would be named Colossus and its aperture would be more than twice the size of any existing lens. Scientists involved in the privately-funded project hope that the telescope would be able to spot cities or other signs of alien life on planets up to 70 light years away from Earth. Alien hunter: Astronomers want to build this Colossus telescope that could spot signs of alien life up to 70 light years away from Earth The telescope is expected to cost around 1 billion and will be built by The Colossus Consortium. 'If we had an investor come and say "look, here are the resources you need," we could have the telescope built within five years,' Jeff Kuhn told Space.com. Kuhn is on the Colossus proposal team and an astronomer at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. The telescope would use thin mirror technology in efforts to keep the costs down. There is not yet a projected start date for the project. Kuhn told Space.com that it could be built in Baja California in Mexico, close to the National University of Mexico in Ensenada, which is a partner in the plans. Clue: The telescope would detect local heat, like the energy given off by urban areas on Earth THE SPACE TELESCOPE THAT ANYONE CAN USE A US space firm is trying to raise lb660,000 via crowdfunding site Kickstarter for a private space telescope that could scour asteroids looking for precious metals to mine. Planetary Resources wants to build and use satellite telescopes to hunt for asteroids orbiting Earth before using robotic spacecrafts to mine the asteroids for precious metals, water and other materials. The company has already received backing from Google's founders - but is now asking for members of the public to donate to the project and get involved in hunting for suitable asteroids. If there is enough public support, Planetary Resources plans to launch its first telescope, called the ARKYD by 2015. Kuhn added that the telescope could detect local heat that would signal extraterrestrial life. 'We do that by using the fact that the planet has to rotate, and that civilization is clustered either by the formation of continents or the use of land, which is agrarian versus organized into population centers. 'The assumption we make is that civilizations will cluster their heat use. It won't be uniform; they distribute it.' Kuhn explained Astronomers have never received any definitive signs of alien life from space despite decades of searching. They have generally been listening for signals beamed out by extraterrestrial life. But this relies on aliens actually sending out signals and our ability to interpret them. Stephen Hawking has also warned about humans sending out our own messages into space in case we alert potentially hostile civilizations to our existence. The Colossus project doesn't include this dangerous risk as it is a passive receiver that searches space without giving away our location. Out there: An alien planet imagined by an artist. This new telescope could be a important step towards finding extraterrestrial life SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE * 'I listened to Marilyn die': Private eye who bugged Monroe's... * 'Crazy ants' that feast on electronics and are invading the... * Intelligence officials overheard joking about how NSA leaker... * Danube reaches record levels as historic capital Budapest... * Pictured: George Zimmerman's defense release 'tape of... * Is this proof the Virgin Queen was an imposter in drag?... * Duchess of Cambridge in final preparations for Palace... * Harry saved me from gay hate attack: Prince in extraordinary... * US senators demand 'traitor' NSA whistleblower be extradited... * So why DID Night Stalker serial killer go bright green just... * Sober driver charged with DUI in Arizona after police said... * Bling, booty, bubbles and lots of attitude: Inside the world... You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions