The next generations of space telescopes will bring about orders-of-magnitude increases in our observing capabilities. Many of these aim to search for atmospheric signatures of life, that would most likely emerge from the largest biomass on the planets – most likely microbial life. However, excitingly, the powerful telescopes of the future could also help us look for advanced civilizations directly! We could search for interstellar beacons, mega-structures in space (such as Dyson spheres), or artificial pollutants in the planetary atmospheres.
With our Nautilus Space Observatory being one of the most ambitious space telescope concepts proposed, I was glad to accept an invitation to speak at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s SEEC group’s Technosignatures seminar. This seminar has included exciting talks about the different ways we could look for and find artifacts of alien technological civilizations. Although I missed most past talks, fortunately for us, the talks and the extensive discussions are recorded and available on the website. Here you will also find my talk on the Nautilus Space Observatory, and the technology development underway that enables this transformative concept.