A scientist at MIT has proposed a novel new approach to establishing contact with ETs: create a proverbial 'porch light' for Earth that will attract their attention. Graduate student James Clark laid out the plan in a newly-published paper in which he examined the feasibility of using lasers to produce a beacon which would shoot out into space. According to his research, a powerful 1-to-2 megawatt laser could be aimed through a giant telescope to create an enormous beam of infrared radiation that would easily be noticed by advanced civilizations looking for life in our corner of the universe.
In fact, Clark's computations suggest that the beam could be visible up to 20,000 light years away. That number is significant because Trappist-1, the closest star which boasts exoplanents that may harbor life, sits a mere 40 light years from Earth. And, of course, the 19,960 light years beyond that may contain countless potential worlds within the vaunted 'Goldilocks zone' that might potentially come across the beacon emanating from Earth.
Part of what makes Clark's research exciting is that such an idea could be put into practice in the near future using technology already available or soon to come to fruition. That said, the researcher noted that the 'porch light' is not without its problems. Find out what those are at the Coast to Coast AM website.