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Comment by gmuslera | Hacker News Reader

Could it be a message? Why to send from place to place a radio signal when we could set up a bunch of planets in an improbable/impossible regular configuration to be noticed from everywhere during a very long time frame?

Probably it is the argument of several existing science fiction books.

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> Could it be a message? Why to send from place to place a radio signal when we could set up a bunch of planets in an improbable/impossible regular configuration to be noticed from everywhere during a very long time frame?

Intuitively, for signalling purposes, setting up six planets in a weird orbital configuration to attract attention seems like it would take WAY more energy to do. Also, it tells you nothing about how to reply to the hail.

Though I could see it as some kind of solar system-sized monument.

That is exactly what happens in Star Control II. One of the most satisfying Easter Eggs I found on my own.

are you talking about the rainbow worlds pointing corewards, or something else?

Yes. It was a huge driver of my anticipation for a sequel (which sadly didn't deliver).

Yeah the Pierson's Puppeteers in Ringworld (1970) did something like that [edit: on second thought, it wasn't as a signal though], and I'm sure there are others.

But in this case I just don't think this is weird enough, it's probably more a matter of tweaking planetary formation models.

Do you remember exactly what was described in Ringworld? I'm curious!

The solar system of the puppeteers had a similar configuration (I don't remember if it were with just 5 planets) and they were running from the galaxy, carrying their system with them.

Speaking of fucking around on a cosmic scale, I wonder if someone hid something in one of the galactic voids.

One can imagine someone writing a love note by moving stars to form a constellation for the beloved.

Star Trek: Picard did that with stars recently.

"We were"

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