Alien Civilisations outside the Terragen Sphere

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Sophonts > Xenosophonts > Alien Civilisations outside the Terragen Sphere

Image from ESA/Hubble, CC BY 4.0
NGC 5917, a galaxy in Libra, 87 million light years distant. Several medium-level energy-emitting civilisations have been detected in this galaxy, one of billions of similar galaxies in the Visible Universe which are under observation by Terragen telescopes

Using advanced telescopes and other detection methods, the visible universe outside the Terragen Sphere can be examined for signs of life, and for signs of intelligent activity. Information from widely-spaced telescopes can be correlated across thousands of light-years using the Wormhole Nexus, allowing a three-dimensional picture of the Hubble Volume to be created.

The more distant an object is, the fewer photons (and other particles) are received by Terragen instruments; so these instruments need to be constructed on a very large scale to collect as much data as possible. Large megastructures such as Dyson Swarms and Banks Orbitals can incorporate arrays of telescopic sensors on the outermost surface of their structure; although these sensors are often used primarily for defence, they can also contribute useful data to the study of the rest of the visible universe and to the search for non-terragen intelligence.

The largest network of telescopic detectors used for this purpose is the Argus Array, a coordinated system more than a thousand light-years across; but many other megascale detector systems exist, and data from such sources is becoming increasingly available thanks to a number of mutual data-sharing agreements between the Sephirotics Empires and other factions. Some data has also been obtained from local xenosophont civilisations such as the Muuh and the Soft Ones, who have been observing the Visible Universe for millions of years.

Looking into the Past

Any location that is far away from the detection system is separated by a gulf of both space and time. Civilisations that are located in the Andromeda Galaxy can only be observed using emissions that have been travelling for two million years; even emissions from locations on the far side of our own galaxy originated long before the Terragen Civilisation emerged.

For this reason all information from these locations is necessarily out of date- these civilisations may have already become extinct, like so many in the past history of our own galaxy; indeed any life-bearing world which can be detected may already have become victim to a sterilising event such as a gamma-ray burster, or simply become uninhabitable due to environmental changes. Although the observation of distant xenosophonts is instructive and allows many useful comparisons to be made, there is little guarantee that any contact will ever be made with these civilisations.

Image from Steve Bowers
Cliotelescopes such as the Coronese Historical Telescope Array can be used to observe the past history of the universe outside the Terragen Sphere, as well as historical events closer to home)

Articles

Alien Civilisations in the Local Group - Text by Crossroads
Xenosophonts within 6 million light years of Sol, including those detected by telescope and those contacted directly.
Asoka's Pillar - Text by Crossroads
An alien Dyson cylinder outside the galaxy, sending strange signals.
Beacon Project, The - Text by Todd Drashner
An attempt to contact extragalactic intelligence.
Black-hole brains of NGC 3109, The - Text by Steve Bowers
A civilisation in the Local Group of galaxies that lives in close association with black holes.
Cormoran SMBH Civilisation, The - Text by Steve Bowers
Alien Civilisation 209 million light years from Sol.
Deep Traveler, The - Text by Todd Drashner
Mobile Dyson shell recently discovered by IR astronomy in intergalactic space approximately 23 million ly away.
Empire of Screaming Skulls, The - Text by Steve Bowers
A distant xenosophont civilisation observed only by telescope.
Golden Tower Builders, The - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Extragalactic alien civilization known to have built planetary megastructures.
Leo Hyperobject 1 - Text by Steve Bowers
Vast megastructure 339 million light years from the Milky Way, in Abell 1367
Red Globular Galaxies - Text by Steve Bowers
Distant galaxies optimised for habitation by xenosophonts.
Search For Non-Terragen Intelligence, The - Text by Steve Bowers, additions by Stephen Inniss
A large number of xenosophont civilizations have been detected by their emissions but have not been contacted due to light-speed lags. Some seem to be comparable to the Terragen Sphere in extent.
Sextans Swarmers - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Nanecology / nanoswarm detected across much of Sextans A (Irregular galaxy - Local Group). Its origin and toposophic nature is unknown. What seem to be a smaller number of similar nanecologies have been detected in Sextans B, showing they were able to make the journey of some million light years separating the two small galaxies.
Sundrivers, The - Text by Todd Drashner
Alien civilization discovered in the Virgo cluster approximately 60 million ly from the Milky Way. The seem to be involved in a megascale project that involves the movement of entire stars.
Triangulum Transmission, The - Text by Todd Drashner
A complex message from another galaxy, giving details of several alien races.