Is Earth under the watchful eye of “lurking” extraterrestrial spy probes? One US physicist argues that while it’s a distant possibility – it wouldn’t hurt to send out probes of our own to take a look and make sure.

Physicist and independent SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) researcher James Benford posited that nearby asteroids that track with Earth’s orbit – also known as co-orbitals – would make the ideal place for an otherworldly spy post. He published his findings, titled “Looking for Lurkers,” in the peer-reviewed Astronomical Journal last month.

“A probe located nearby could bide its time while our civilisation developed technology that could find it, and, once contacted, could undertake a conversation in real time,” Benford wrote in the paper.

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