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    Alien Planet-Hunters In Hundreds Of Nearby Star Systems Could Spot Earth

    Potentially, observers in plenty of solar systems could have detected Earth sometime in the last 5,000 years. More stars will soon move into positions that would let them see our planet.
    by Nell Greenfieldboyce Jun 23, 2021 5 minutes
    An illustrated view of the Earth moving around our sun, and the stars that have the right vantage point to view that transit — if anyone's out there looking.

    Right now, a couple of planets about as massive as Earth are orbiting a dim star that's just a dozen light-years away from us. Those planets could be cozy enough to potentially support life. But if any one is living there — and if these life forms have the same kinds of technology that humans do — they wouldn't be able to detect Earth yet.

    This will change in just 29 years, according to a report published Wednesday in the journal Nature. That's because stars are constantly moving, and this particular star, called Teegarden's Star, will soon slip into the right location to be able to watch our sun and notice the slight dimming that occurs when Earth passes in front of it.

    "If they have the same technique as we, director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "In 29 years, they would be able to see us."

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