Could An ExtraTerrestrial Find Earth with a Telescope?

Active Seti writes "If aliens were hunting life outside their own planet, could they peer through the vastness of space and lock onto Earth as a likely home for life? Researchers say with a roughly Hubble-sized array observers could measure Earth's 24-hour rotation period, possibly leading to observations of oceans and the chance of life. 'They would only be able to see Earth as a single pixel, rather than resolving it to take a picture,' said Astronomer Eric Ford. 'But that could be enough for them to identify our planet as one that likely contains clouds and oceans of liquid water.' The research will be useful to astronomers designing the next generation of space telescopes on our planet, because it provides an outline of the capabilities required for studying the surfaces of Earth-like worlds."

I've got an idea

[ILuvRamen]

We should totally arrange some stars into a smiley face or big arrow pointing at us then (yes I know that would only look right from certain angles, it's a joke). But you've got to wonder why some other super advanced civilization didn't move some stars around to circle themselves or something and make it really obvious where they lived.

Re:I've got an idea

[edwardpickman]

They probably did it's just their smiley face has five eyes and no mouth. The stars spelling out "We Are Here" are tough to read given the language differences and they use a pentagon to point instead of an arrow given they never developed archery. Celapods have trouble with bows. There is hope of translating the "Free Beer" part of the sign if we can only figure out the translation for beer. We do know there's an exclamation mark like symbol at the end of what's thought to be the word Beer. We know it as Orion's Belt.

Re:I've got an idea

[LynnwoodRooster]

Well then, screw them... I mean, if they aren't going to follow the stinking RFC standards about smilies and emoticons [rfc.net] then why do we even want their standards-breaking butts here anyway?

Intergalactic quarantine symbol

[Hognoxious]

Rings around a gas giant means "keep the hell away from this system and don't, whatever you do, let the inhabitants get out".

A pentagon-shaped smiley?

[haraldm]

Whoa - if their smiley were pentagon-shaped I'd definitely run! Other civilizations with pentagon-shaped things aren't famous for being friendly towards people who are "different".

We've Already Been Discovered

[DavidD_CA]

We've already been discovered, twice.

The first time: they discussed us using irrelevant analogies, took a senseless poll, said things like "imagine a Beowulf cluster of these" and "itsatrap!", and one alien remarked "I, for one, welcome our new Earthling overlords."

The second time: they just shouted "DUPE!" and moved on.