The blinding speed of electromagnetic radiation is dwarfed only by the unparalleled immensity of the universe. Every second a photon of light covers more than 186,000 miles, or nearly 300 million meters.
Radio, television, and every garage door opener remote pulses signals through space, most of it attenuated by stray atoms. The more powerful signals punch through gas and dust clouds, but continue on in a slightly weaker state.
Mankind has been sending radio signals into space for more than a century. Television is slightly less ancient, with those EM waves pushing out hard on the heels of radio.
A bubble with a radius of just 45 light years would include about 500 stars. Calculating that stellar density, then expanding it to a radius of 100 light years would include more than 14,000 stars.
How many of those hold planets? Is there any alien life capable of receiving these signals? Perhaps a starship is simply passing through that bubble of Terran electromagnetic emission.
Why have no aliens replied to our signals? “You may think it’s butter, but it’s not. It’s Chiffon.”
Swallowed by an alien spam filter.
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