Laser Cloaking Device Could Make Earth Invisible To Evil Aliens

The Earth can be concealed from advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may want to exploit the planet's rich resources, researchers suggest.

It has been long cautioned by Stephen Hawking and other prominent scientists that humanity should not broadcast our existence to intelligent extraterrestrial life. Aliens from other planets may pick up on these signals and very well reach the Earth - news that does not mean well for humans.

We use techniques that focus on the change in light, when a planet positions itself directly in front of the star it orbits around, to discover new planets. The Kepler mission, among others, uses this technique to search for exoplanets. Till now, the presence of more than 1,000 planets has been confirmed by the Kepler mission using this method, and many of these worlds are similar to Earth in size.

Superior techniques like this can also be used by intelligent life elsewhere in the universe to track back to us, and their visit may definitely not be friendly. The habitable qualities of the earth may prove to be an enticing prospect for aliens, and they might not refrain from taking advantage of Earth's resources, which could have a devastating and disastrous impact for mankind, even leading to complete annihilation of the human race.

However, there might be a solution that could mask the earth from prying eyes in outer space. Researchers say that the earth's transit around the sun can be hidden by controlled laser emission. A beam can be directed at the probable planet inhabited by aliens, which will camouflage the dip in light resulting from the earth's position in front of the sun.

The continuous emission of 30 Mega Watt (MW) laser for approximately 10 hours annually, could be enough to hide the transit signal in visible light. The energy needed is in tandem with the yearly amount collected by the International Space Station (ISS). 

"Alternatively, we could cloak only the atmospheric signatures associated with biological activity, such as oxygen, which is achievable with a peak laser power of just 160 kilowatt (KW) per transit," said Alex Teachey from Columbia University. The findings can have a huge impact on the survival of the human race and the general fate of our planet in the future.