How do we find what we cannot see?
From gravitational waves to distant worlds, follow the steps between a signal and its interpretation.
Choose an idea to see what it connects to. Each link says how the two are related; the reading takes you further.
How do we find what we cannot see?
From gravitational waves to distant worlds, follow the steps between a signal and its interpretation.
What reaches the instrument?
Begin with what was recorded. A detector output and the object proposed to explain it belong to different stages of an argument.
Connected ideas
← asks about detectionHow do we find what we cannot see?↗is constrained by the instrumentWhat limits the observation?↗needs an explanationWhich explanation fits the signal?↗← suggests what to observe nextWhat would count as evidence of life?↗Read into this question
What limits the observation?
Ask about the scale an instrument can distinguish. How does changing the available time resolution change the questions that can be investigated?
Connected ideas
← asks about resolutionHow do we find what we cannot see?↗← is constrained by the instrumentWhat reaches the instrument?↗Read into this question
Which explanation fits the signal?
Consider a report about signals from space as an exercise in interpretation. Which observations support the proposed explanation, and which alternatives would need to be tested?
Connected ideas
← asks about interpretationHow do we find what we cannot see?↗← needs an explanationWhat reaches the instrument?↗sets the standard for a larger claimWhat would count as evidence of life?↗Read into this question
What would count as evidence of life?
Separate a candidate signal from a conclusion about life. Ask what additional observations could distinguish a biological explanation from other possibilities.