Outer space 

If aliens exist on other worlds, they could spy on us

A new study accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (preprint available here) takes a look at our nearby exoplanet neighbors, and finds that dozens of nearby worlds could detect Earth in the same way we’ve detected them. Using probability formulas, they find that there’s a 1 in 40 chance of spotting one of the innermost planets with technology like Kepler uses. 

The paper finds that residents of at least 68 known exoplanetary systems could detect one or more of our solar system’s planets. On that list, only a few have a probability of detecting more than one planet, and only one of those would find Earth in their data. HATS-11b is a hot Jupiter nearly 3,000 light-years away, and from there, it’s possible to detect Earth and Jupiter transiting the Sun. We don’t currently know of any other planets in that system (such as habitable Earth-like planets), so its spying eyes can be considered at bay for now.