It is reported that the 500-meter aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST), known as the "eye of China's sky", has discovered more than 900 new pulsars so far, and this brilliant achievement has attracted global attention. In this huge pulsar population, there are at least 120 binary pulsars, 170 millisecond pulsars, and 80 faint occasional pulsars, which undoubtedly greatly broaden the boundaries of human understanding of the universe and provide valuable clues for exploring the mysteries of the universe.
It is worth mentioning that FAST is firmly on the throne of the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope with its majestic figure of 500 meters. This major breakthrough not only fully demonstrates the outstanding strength of the continent in the field of astronomy, but also provides a powerful tool for us to explore the profound mysteries of the universe.
According to experts, the newly discovered nearly 100 faint and occasional pulsars have an order of magnitude lower radiant flux density than normal pulsars. The study of these special pulsars will provide key clues to our understanding of the number of dense neutron star debris formed after the death of stars in the Milky Way, and also help to uncover unknown physical processes of pulsed radiation.
Looking back on the glorious history of FAST, this great project was conceived by the late astronomer Nan Rendong in mainland China in 1994, and after 22 years of arduous construction, it was finally completed and opened on September 25, 2016, and entered the commissioning period. On January 11, 2020, FAST officially passed the national acceptance and opened for operation, injecting new vitality into astronomical research in the mainland.
Today, FAST maintains a stable observation time of about 5,300 hours per year, which provides a solid support for researchers to continue to produce high-quality research results. We look forward to the "China Sky Eye" will continue to bring us more answers to the mysteries of the universe in the future.
Previously, Peng Bo, director of the FAST Key Laboratory, once said: The signals received by FAST may hide traces of alien civilizations, but we have not yet had enough time to identify them one by one. This statement has sparked infinite reverie about the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. If we do find the existence of an extraterrestrial civilization, should we be happy or hopeless? What will be the next step for humanity?
How big is the potential threat of extraterrestrial civilizations to Earth?
Human beings are unique advanced intelligent beings on the earth, and human civilization regards itself as the most outstanding intellectual achievement on the earth, but in the vast universe, our civilization is only at the initial level of 0.7. This may seem like a glorious look for human civilization, but in fact, our science and technology have reached a bottleneck, and it is difficult to make breakthroughs in many fields. In the face of many problems, our existing scientific and technological means are often stretched.
So, why is human civilization only at level 0.7 in the cosmic civilization? According to the current standards of science and technology, civilization can be divided into three levels: the mother star civilization, the stellar civilization, and the galaxy civilization. To advance to a Level 1 civilization, we must fully explore and utilize all the resources on Earth. Unfortunately, the exploitation and utilization of the earth's energy resources is still very limited, and although significant breakthroughs have been made in some areas, there is still a long way to go to reach the goal of reaching the level 1 civilization.
If human beings really discover alien civilizations, what kind of threat will the earth face? The first problem is that we cannot accurately judge the level of alien civilizations, and whether they have the scientific and technological strength that surpasses ours. Therefore, in the case of the discovery of extraterrestrial civilizations, humanity must be cautious and avoid easily releasing signals to expose its existence.
However, what is puzzling is why extraterrestrial civilizations dare to send signals in the universe and expose their cosmic coordinates to other civilizations? Aren't they worried about attracting invasion from other civilizations? There may be two possibilities behind this: one is that their civilization is extremely high-level, technologically powerful, and confident that they can cope with any challenge, and the other is that they may be looking for a new habitable planet. In either case, this could pose a potential threat to the planet.
We must remain vigilant and cautious in the face of such a potential threat. Until it is clear whether the signals released by extraterrestrial civilizations are real and their true intentions, human beings will not easily release any signals into the universe, so as not to expose the coordinates of the earth.
And when it comes to the extraterrestrial civilization that may be discovered by China's Tianyan FAST radio telescope, this is undoubtedly a potential threat. But the 900 pulsars that are discovered are more likely to pose a risk of devastation. The presence of these pulsars makes us aware that dangers are everywhere in the universe and that we must always be vigilant and ready for any challenges that may come our way.
How powerful are pulsars?
Pulsars, essentially neutron stars, are small but surprisingly massive celestial bodies. According to the data published so far, none of the pulsars have a diameter of more than 40 kilometers. Despite their small size, they spin at an astonishing speed, with a maximum rotation of 4.3 seconds and a minimum of less than 2 milliseconds.
Pulsars can be called the "three highs" in the universe, with the remarkable characteristics of high density, high temperature and high pressure. Its surface temperature can reach 10 million degrees Celsius, and its core temperature is a staggering 6 billion degrees Celsius.
In addition, pulsars are extremely radioactive, releasing millions of times more radiation energy in a single day than the Sun. Its central temperature is 40 times that of the center of the sun, the air pressure is 300 million times that of the center of the sun, and the magnetic field strength is trillions times that of the earth.
At a distance of 5,000 light-years from Earth, there is a pulsar known as the "Black Widow", which, despite being only a dozen kilometers in diameter, is destroying a planet larger than Jupiter. The pulsar's radiation heats the planet's surface temperature to 12,000 degrees Celsius, causing a large amount of gas to escape and eventually disappear from the universe.
Imagine that if such a pulsar existed near the Earth, humans would be torn apart into atoms in an instant by its powerful radiation and magnetic field.
However, the discovery of pulsars is of great significance for humans. First, it helps us circumvent potential threats in future deep space exploration. Secondly, by determining the position of pulsars, we can provide an important basis for the navigation and positioning of spacecraft in the universe.
At last
Whether it is the discovery of extraterrestrial civilizations or pulsars, it is a warning that humans should be cautious and avoid rash approach or contact. China's Tianyan FAST radio telescope continues to discover new celestial objects every day, and in the future, it will help mankind reveal more secrets of the universe and provide valuable information for us to understand the universe.