Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Recent surveys of millions of stars in our galaxy have unveiled mysterious spikes in infrared heat emanating from dozens of them, prompting speculation about the possibility of advanced alien civilizations.
According to New Scientist, astronomers suggest that these anomalous infrared signals could be indicative of Dyson spheres, vast structures proposed to encompass entire stars for harnessing their energy.
Dyson spheres, if existent, would emit detectable infrared radiation, serving as potential "technosignatures" hinting at the presence of extraterrestrial life.
Two independent teams of astronomers, led by Matías Suazo and Gaby Contardo, analysed data from the Gaia satellite and infrared telescopes to identify unusual infrared heat patterns among millions of stars.
Suazo's team observed abnormal signals from seven red dwarfs near Earth, while Contardo's research identified 53 candidate stars, including sun-like ones, up to 6500 light-years away.
While these findings are intriguing, astronomers caution that other explanations, such as hot debris disks or chance alignments with distant galaxies, cannot be ruled out.
The observed infrared signals may result from unknown natural processes or rare occurrences like planetary collisions, casting doubt on the Dyson sphere hypothesis.
Follow-up observations, potentially by the James Webb Space Telescope, are necessary to confirm the origin of these infrared signals and distinguish between natural and artificial causes.
Regardless of the outcome, astronomers remain optimistic about the insights that ongoing research will provide, either confirming the rarity of Dyson spheres or opening new avenues for exploration into potential extraterrestrial civilizations.