02-17-2016, 04:09 AM
Maybe they just meant life outside the Milky Way galaxy.
There are many potential star systems with planets inside our own Milky Way Galaxy, so why begin a search even farther away in another galaxy? Looking closer to earth, relatively speaking, a telescope can focus on individual star systems and rule out interference from other sources. When attempting to detect signals in a distant galaxy containing billions of suns, it would probably not be possible to narrow down an individual signal.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard
There are many potential star systems with planets inside our own Milky Way Galaxy, so why begin a search even farther away in another galaxy? Looking closer to earth, relatively speaking, a telescope can focus on individual star systems and rule out interference from other sources. When attempting to detect signals in a distant galaxy containing billions of suns, it would probably not be possible to narrow down an individual signal.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves