Existing and planned optical telescopes and surveys can detect artificially illuminated objects, comparable in total brightness to a major terrestrial city, at the outskirts of the Solar System. Orbital parameters of Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) are routinely measured to exquisite precisions of<10−3. Here, we propose to measure the variation of the observed flux F from such objects as a function of their changing orbital distances D. Sunlight-illuminated objects will show a logarithmic slope α ≡ (d log F/d log D)=−4, whereas artificially illuminated objects should exhibit α=−2. The proposed Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and other planned surveys will provide superb data and allow measurement of α for thousands of KBOs. If objects with α=−2 are found, follow-up observations could measure their spectra to determine whether they are illuminated by artificial lighting. The search can be extended beyond the Solar System with future generations of telescopes on the ground and in space that would have the capacity to detect phase modulation due to very strong artificial illumination on the nightside of planets as they orbit their parent stars. Key Words: Astrobiology—SETI—Kuiper belt objects—Artificial illumination. Astrobiology 12, 290–294.
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机译：现有的和计划中的光学望远镜和勘测可以检测人造照明的物体，其总亮度与太阳系郊区的主要陆地城市相当。常规测量柯伊伯带天体（KBO）的轨道参数，精确度<10 -3 。在这里，我们建议测量从这样的物体观察到的通量F的变化，作为其轨道距离D的函数。阳光照射下的物体将显示对数斜率αα（d log F / d log D）=-4，而人工照明的物体应具有α= -2。拟议的大型天气调查望远镜（LSST）和其他计划的调查将提供一流的数据，并允许测量数千个KBO的α。如果找到了α= −2的物体，则后续观察可以测量其光谱以确定其是否被人工照明照亮。借助地面上和太空中的下一代望远镜，搜索范围可以扩展到太阳系以外，由于行星在其恒星绕轨道运行时，它们在夜晚的夜间会受到非常强烈的人工照明，因此它们有能力检测相位调制。关键词：天体生物学-SETI-库珀带物体-人工照明。天体生物学12，290–294。
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