We discuss the possibility of enhancing intelligent life searches toward the Galactic center. From the clockwork orbital motions of stars around the Sgr A* black hole, we can determine the distance to the Galactic center at an exceptional accuracy, despite its remoteness ∼8.3 kpc. In addition, we can define precise reference epochs by selecting a prominent object such as the bright B-type star S2. These properties have a particular affinity for the coordinated signaling scheme that was hypothesized by Seto for systematically connecting intentional senders to searchers without a prior communication. If S2 is actually being used as a common reference clock, we can compress the search directions around the Galactic center by more than 2 orders of magnitude, with the scanning interval of ∼16 yr.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Naoki Seto (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: