Informations about Hostile Population Contact

[Raumschiffo (OP)]

Hi,

I am now ~60 years into my first game.  I found some ships in a neighbour system of Sol and successfully detroyed them.  I also found three hostile populations contacs with very low thermal signature (5).  Now I wonder where I can get more informations about these three contacts, like size of the populations, amount of installations etc.  I created colonies to see the full summary of the bodies, but there are no information.  So my question is: How do I get more informations?

Claus

[JacenHan]

The only other information you can get is ground force strength, using active sensors. There might not be any though, considering how small that signature is. Probably a Deep Space Tracking Sensor or missile cache. The only way to know for sure is to invade it with ground forces.

[Raumschiffo (OP)]

ok, I sent some ships with sensors to investigate them, but fount nothing.  Then I sent some troops and gave them the order to attack. 

15th February 2109 21:46:41,Lalande 21185,General ground attack on Lalande 21185-A VII - Moon 3.  No defending units are present and no garrisoned enemy PDCs remain in operation.  The Lalandianer population on Lalande 21185-A VII - Moon 3 has surrendered to our victorious ground forces

I can't see any populations and the summary screen show thermal signature 0.  I have no clue where the thermal signature 5 came from on this moon. . .

[JacenHan]

The thermal signature 5 contact was the enemy colony, which was transferred into your control once it was conquered. Check your colony on the moon, it should now contain whatever was in the enemy colony.

[Raumschiffo (OP)]

Absolutely nothing. 

Could it be ruins? How do I detect them?

[Raumschiffo (OP)]

Is it possible that it is Underground Infrastructure which I can't see because I haven't researched it yet?

[Porjate]

It is most likely a missile cache which has been depleted by the defending ships; I've had several populations with nothing in them, while the other populations have deep space tracking stations.  Ruins tend to be on low colony cost worlds I've found, and will need a geosurvey to allow a xenologist team to uncover them.  After that, dump a couple of construction brigades and garrison battalions (Or assault), and let them do their work.