Scientists say in a new report that 1715 star systems have been in a position to view Earth over the past 5000 years.

According to the report published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the study could provide clues on where to look for extraterrestrial life that could have a view of Earth.

The authors wrote that while there has been much research on the position of stars, previous studies did not take into account how the view from star systems has changed over time.