Searching the SETI Ellipsoid with Gaia

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the use of Gaia data to identify nearby stars intersecting the SETI Ellipsoid, enhancing targeted searches for extraterrestrial signals based on astronomical event timing.

Contribution

It demonstrates how Gaia's precise stellar distances can optimize the selection of targets on the SETI Ellipsoid, including those related to SN 1987A and classical novae.

Findings

Less than 8% of stars within 100 pc are inside the SN 1987A SETI Ellipsoid.

On average, 734 stars per year intersect the Ellipsoid within 100 pc.

Approximately 10% of intersecting stars have Gaia distance uncertainties better than 0.1 light years.

Abstract

The SETI Ellipsoid is a geometric method for prioritizing technosignature observations based on the strategy of receiving signals synchronized to conspicuous astronomical events. Precise distances to nearby stars from Gaia makes constraining Ellipsoid crossing times possible. Here we explore the utility of using the Gaia Catalog of Nearby Stars to select targets on the SN 1987A SETI Ellipsoid, as well the Ellipsoids defined by 278 classical novae. Less than 8% of stars within the 100 pc sample are inside the SN 1987A SETI Ellipsoid, meaning the vast majority of nearby stars are still viable targets for monitoring over time. We find an average of 734 stars per year within the 100 pc volume will intersect the Ellipsoid from SN 1987A, with ~10% of those having distance uncertainties from Gaia better than 0.1 lyr.