Emma Chapman: “If intelligent life has evolved and wants to send us a message, they’ll develop a radio telescope to do that”

by

Someday, when we finally meet aliens, we’ll have plenty to talk about – even something as relatable as TV comedies. Author and astrophysicist Emma Chapman jokes that there’s a “I Love Lucy Radius” – meaning the distance at which aliens will likely recognize the classic 1950s American sitcom.

As a total cinema and TV buff, I recently learned something amazing! Apparently, when “I Love Lucy” first aired, it was so popular that the broadcast sent out a huge amount of radio waves into space. Think about it – we were essentially shouting the show across the universe! Now, 75 years later, those waves have travelled so far that the area they’ve reached – they call it the “I Love Lucy Radius” – includes planets beyond our solar system. It’s wild to think that if there’s life out there, they might be watching Lucy Ricardo right now!

Chapman’s latest book, Radio Universe, is packed with interesting facts, and it’s particularly enjoyable to hear it on Radio 4 as this week’s Book of the Week. The radio technology you’re using is the same technology Chapman uses in her research at Nottingham University to study the remnants of the Big Bang.

Whether you’re tuning a radio by extending its antenna or turning on your cell phone, you’re picking up radio waves – even from large transmitters like the BT Tower in London. That’s how shows like The Archers reach your ears. Radio astronomy does the same thing, but uses different-sized or shaped antennas pointed at the sky to detect radio waves from things like solar flares, space weather, or even distant pulsars and black holes.

I have to say, the film gets something right about antenna size. Anyone who’s seen movies like GoldenEye or Contact will recognize the massive Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico – a truly iconic structure. But from what I understand, and having spoken to someone who’s worked at both sites, the Square Kilometre Array Telescope currently under construction in Western Australia is going to be even more remarkable. We’re talking over a million interconnected antennas when it’s finished – it’s a project that’s genuinely blowing my mind.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because reCAPTCHA might use cookies. If you choose ‘Accept and continue,’ you’ll allow reCAPTCHA to work and help keep the site secure.

It’s amazing to learn that radio waves are actually a form of light! According to Chapman, the light humans can see is just a small part of the full spectrum. Many animals can even see ultraviolet light, which we can’t. Radio waves, on the other hand, have the longest wavelengths and lowest energy, allowing them to travel incredibly far. This is how we can detect what Chapman calls the “cosmic dawn,” and why she jokingly refers to herself as a “stellar archaeologist” – though she clarifies it’s not just to sound like a mix of Princess Leia and Lara Croft.

But does any of this research actually have practical benefits? Definitely! Recently, scientists aboard the International Space Station discovered that viruses that kill bacteria – called bacteriophages – were significantly more effective in space. Plus, there are asteroids containing trillions of dollars worth of rare metals, resources that are highly sought after and causing conflict on Earth.

NASA has successfully sent spacecraft to collect samples from asteroids and return them to Earth, using radio astronomy to track their movements and ensure accurate landings. We’re now at a point where we could potentially capture asteroids and move them into orbit around Mars for resource extraction. The technology and funding are largely available, but governments need to prioritize this type of space exploration and development.

Want to see this content?

This section includes content from Instagram. We need your permission to load it because Instagram uses cookies and similar technologies. By selecting ‘Accept and continue,’ you’ll allow Instagram to function and serve its content.

Almost every spiral galaxy, including our Milky Way, has a supermassive black hole at its center, which isn’t too concerning because it’s far away. What’s more surprising is the number of smaller black holes that are actually moving around within our galaxy. Luckily, while regular telescopes can’t detect black holes directly—since they don’t emit light—radio telescopes can. This is because material falling into a black hole creates a lot of friction, generating detectable radio waves.

Radio astronomy is particularly important in the search for life beyond Earth. As Chapman explains, the same principles that make radio waves useful for communication here would apply to civilizations around other stars. So, if intelligent life exists and wants to contact us, they’d likely use radio telescopes – or even unintentionally transmit signals through their television broadcasts. Perhaps one day we’ll be sharing our favorite shows with them, even something as obscure as ‘I Love Xjgrfnujzjdtk’.

  • Radio Universe by Emma Chapman is available now

Authors

Ed GrenbyAssociate Editor, TopMob

Read More

2026-03-23 21:23