Maria Trepp's

Johannes Kepler and Christiaan Huygens both wrote –partially ironically- about astronomers on other planets. Christiaan Huygens emphasizes in his Cosmotheoros (1698) that we never may assume that extraterrestrials are less competent than we are; we must assume that they are at least equally developed in the process of civilization. Thus we must assume that they also have astronomers among them.

Astronomer on Kepler 22-b

So, the astronomers  out on twin planet Kepler-22b, what do they see when they observe Earth, if they look at us right now and have discovered us as we have discovered them? Let’s assume that they have better telescopes than we do and can zoom in on us closely.

Kepler 22-b is 600 light years away from Earth.

Our 22-b-twins see thus the Earth at the beginning of the 15^th century.

They see explorers cross the seas.

This will make their hearts beat faster, because exploring the seas is something they know: navigation, sailing, ships.

Christiaan Huygens in his Cosmotheoros:

“They [=the inhabitants of the planets] have Navigation, and all Arts subservient.

If their Globe is divided like ours, between Sea and Land, […] we have great reason to allow them the Art of Navigation, and not proudly engross so great, so useful a thing to our selves.[…] . And what a troop of other things follow from this allowance? If they have Ships, they must have Sails and Anchors, Ropes, Pullies, and Rudders, which are of particular use in directing a Ships Course against the Wind, and in sailing different ways with the same Gale.’”

 

 

This blog can be read in German on my German weblog

Unsere Zwillinge auf dem Zwillingplaneten Kepler-22b

and on my Dutch blog

Onze tweelingen op tweelingplaneet Kepler-22b (satire)

Maria Trepp www.passagenproject.com

Tags: aliens, explorer, kepler-22b, navigation