Quote:
Originally Posted by BeccaPrice
The trouble is, there could be a technologically advanced civilization out there just radiating radio waves (like Earth is) right at this moment, but it could take 10,000 years for the signal to reach us.
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True, but the Drake equation is really more interested in us being able to detect such signals, not necessarily that would we would be able to establish any sort of meaningful dialog. From that perspective, the distance is irrelevant as long as the signal reaching us is powerful enough for our radio telescopes to detect it.
To put it another way, yes at any given time 5 civilizations might exist, and signals from 5 civilizations might be reaching us, but they don't have to be the same 5.
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Bill