Astronomers downplay SETI signal
Posted: Fri, Sep 3, 2004, 11:56 AM ET (1556 GMT)
Reports that astronomers have detected an unusual signal from a distant star have been downplayed by researchers, who say there is little chance the signal comes from an extraterrestrial civilization. New Scientist magazine reported Wednesday that the SETI@home project, sifting through data collected at the Arecibo radio telescope, had identified a mysterious signal emanating from an unidentified source at least 1,000 light-years away. A followup search at Arecibo detected the signal again, while eliminating other candidate signals also found by SETI@home. Astronomers, though, cautioned that this redetection does not mean the signal is necessarily artificial or even real: it may represent a previously-unknown natural phenomenon, or could also be noise or man-made interference. Additional searches are planned to confirm and characterize the signal.
Reports that astronomers have detected an unusual signal from a distant star have been downplayed by researchers, who say there is little chance the signal comes from an extraterrestrial civilization. New Scientist magazine reported Wednesday that the SETI@home project, sifting through data collected at the Arecibo radio telescope, had identified a mysterious signal emanating from an unidentified source at least 1,000 light-years away. A followup search at Arecibo detected the signal again, while eliminating other candidate signals also found by SETI@home. Astronomers, though, cautioned that this redetection does not mean the signal is necessarily artificial or even real: it may represent a previously-unknown natural phenomenon, or could also be noise or man-made interference. Additional searches are planned to confirm and characterize the signal.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, February 17
ESA Boss Couches Lunar Plans In Security Terms
Aviation Week — 1:43 am ET (0643 GMT) U.S. Smuggled Thousands of Starlink Terminals Into Iran After Protest Crackdown
Wall Street Journal — 1:42 am ET (0642 GMT) 700-plus Space Command personnel in Alabama by end of 2028, Sen. Katie Britt says
Huntsville Times — 1:41 am ET (0641 GMT) Space Race 2.0: The Competition for the Future Operating System of Space
The Diplomat — 1:35 am ET (0635 GMT) Creating New Launchpads for Space Exploration
Dartmouth Univ. — 1:35 am ET (0635 GMT) |
