Is the Kuiper Belt Inhabited?
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G. Matloff (2019), JBIS, 72, pp.382-385
Refcode: 2019.72.382
Abstract:
The Sun’s Kuiper Belt (located about 30-50 Astronomical Units from the Sun) is a volatile-rich region containing very many objects in the ~10-20 km size range. An expedition to our solar system would encounter this region before it reached the Sun’s habitable zone. It has been speculated that alien space habitats in this region could be detected by infrared or visible light transmissions. Recent data from the Gaia space observatory reveals that our solar system is approached very closely by Sun- like stars at intervals of ~ one million years. Properly timed expeditions to Sol might be less time consuming than commonly believed. It is argued here that the probability of our outer solar system being colonized during the distant past is not small. Even if alien space habitats no longer exist, artifacts of failed or abandoned colonization attempts might be discovered. Recent exploration of the Kuiper Belt has revealed fascinating anomalies. It is possible that humans are not the first technological terrestrial civilization. Evidence for such a possibility might also be searched for among small Kuiper Belt Objects.