Earth's Radio Bubble: How Far Have Our Signals Traveled? Are Aliens Listening?
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News1829-12-2025, 06:51

Earth's Radio Bubble: How Far Have Our Signals Traveled? Are Aliens Listening?

  • Human-made radio signals, starting with Reginald Fessenden's 1906 broadcast, have created an expanding "radio bubble" in space.
  • This bubble, traveling at the speed of light, now extends approximately 119 light-years from Earth.
  • Despite its size, the radio bubble is a tiny fraction of the 100,000-light-year-wide Milky Way galaxy.
  • Signals have passed stars like Proxima Centauri, and about 75 stars within the bubble could potentially receive them and observe Earth.
  • Signals weaken significantly over distance, becoming indistinguishable from cosmic noise, making alien detection highly improbable. Modern tech also reduces leakage.

Why It Matters: Our radio signals have traveled 119 light-years, but are too weak for aliens to detect.

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