Delhi: Forget flashing neon billboards and TikTok trends, aliens spying on Earth could be witnessing the rise and fall of ancient empires, according to a new study. While we try to reach out with radio waves and satellites, these extraterrestrials, if they exist, might be catching glimpses of the Colosseum in its glory or the Great Wall of China still under construction. That's because it takes light thousands of years to travel across space. So, aliens with super-powered telescopes stationed thousands of light-years away wouldn't see us scrolling through Instagram – they'd be watching Cleopatra stroll down the Nile or Spartans clashing in Thermopylae. This mind-bending idea comes from a study published in Acta Astronautica by ZNirov, a researcher at the SETI Institute. He figured out that, based on the laws of physics, the furthest aliens could possibly "see" our current activities is from about 3,000 light-years away.
Further adding to the sci-fi twist, the study categorizes alien civilizations based on their tech prowess. Type I can harness all the energy reaching their planet from their star, Type II can control their entire star's energy, and Type III masters the whole galaxy's power. But are those alien eyes out there, peering through the cosmic dust to catch a glimpse of our ancient ancestors? The study ponders whether their telescopes could even recognize signs of our civilization. It suggests they'd likely focus on giant structures like spaceships, buildings, and satellites, as these would stand out as artificial creations.
So, while we scan the skies for UFOs, it's possible that alien archaeologists might be gazing back, studying the remnants of our long-gone civilizations - a humbling thought that rewrites the whole "who's watching whom" question.