I read a short story (probably 20 years ago) about a human scientific expedition that arrives at an alien planet. The planet is covered by a thick cloud layer and orbits a dim red star.
The humans start exploring the planet from orbit, meticulously abiding by a non-interference protocol. The cloud layer blocks all passive scans. The captain is a real stickler for the rules, making sure that any active scans are only employed after the crew have verified that no electromagnetic emissions come from the planet (so as to reasonably assume that the inhabitants do not have devices capable of detecting those scans).
Eventually, the crew undertake an expedition to the surface. There, they find a thriving ecology and an intelligent race.
However, the inhabitants act strangely: they all seem to lack optical senses, but exhibit behaviour that suggests they would normally have such senses. For instance, they repeatedly bump into obstacles or stumble over cliffs.
It turns out that the frequency of the crew's active scans — implemented at one of the few frequencies that could penetrate the cloud layer — was also the frequency used by the aliens to see. Due to the much higher energy of the scans compared to the dim sun, all of the inhabitants were blinded by the scans.
I do not remember where I read the story.
Does anyone know the title of this story or where it can be found?
No comments:
Post a Comment