An international team of scientists from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is investigating mysterious signal spikes emitting from a 6.3-billion-year-old star in the constellation Hercules—95 light years away from Earth. The implications are extraordinary and point to the possibility of a civilization far more advanced than our own.
The unusual signal was originally detected on May 15, 2015, by the Russian Academy of Science-operated RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Russia, but was kept secret from the international community. Interstellar space reporter Paul Gilster broke the story after the researchers quietly circulated a paper announcing the detection of "a strong signal in the direction of HD164595."
The mysterious star's designation is HD164595, and it's considered to be sun-like in nature with a nearly identical metallic composition to our own star. So far, a single Neptune-like (but warmer) planet has been discovered in its orbit—HD 164595 b. But as Gilster explained, "There could, of course, be other planets still undetected in this system."
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We thought aliens were making first contact, but it looks like Earth has been caught out by a case of phantom phone vibration on a cosmic scale.
The latest radio signal picked up by SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) had excited some folks, but it turns out the signal came from Earth.
Earlier this week, our SETI senses were tingling over news that Russian scientists had discovered a "strong signal" coming out of a star system 95 light-years away. The signal was reportedly picked up by the Russian RATAN-600 radio telescope more than a year ago, coming from the direction of the star HD 164595.
While news sites around the world started calling Jodi Foster for comment on this real-life "Contact" situation, the rest of us (CNET included) were pretty skeptical. For starters, the Russians reportedly only picked up the signal once in 39 tries, and they'd sat on the seemingly exciting news for a year.
New technologies, strategies expanding search for extraterrestrial life:
Emerging technologies and new strategies are opening a revitalized era in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). New discovery capabilities, along with the rapidly-expanding number of known planets orbiting stars other than the Sun, are spurring innovative approaches by both government and private organizations, according to a panel of experts speaking at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Seattle, Washington.
New approaches will not only expand upon but also go beyond the traditional SETI technique of searching for intelligently-generated radio signals, first pioneered by Frank Drake's Project Ozma in 1960. Scientists now are designing state-of-the-art techniques to detect a variety of signatures that can indicate the possibility of extraterrestrial technologies. Such "technosignatures" can range from the chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere, to laser emissions, to structures orbiting other stars, among others.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the privately-funded SETI Institute announced an agreement to collaborate on new systems to add SETI capabilities to radio telescopes operated by NRAO. The first project will develop a system to piggyback on the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) that will provide data to a state-of-the-art technosignature search system.
"As the VLA conducts its usual scientific observations, this new system will allow for an additional and important use for the data we're already collecting," said NRAO Director Tony Beasley. "Determining whether we are alone in the Universe as technologically capable life is among the most compelling questions in science, and NRAO telescopes can play a major role in answering it," Beasley continued.
"The SETI Institute will develop and install an interface on the VLA permitting unprecedented access to the rich data stream continuously produced by the telescope as it scans the sky," said Andrew Siemion, Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute and Principal Investigator for the Breakthrough Listen Initiative at the University of California, Berkeley. "This interface will allow us to conduct a powerful, wide-area SETI survey that will be vastly more complete than any previous such search," he added.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:14PM
Ask the aliens if they would be so kind as to invite us to visit? By the time we receive an answer, the Norks will have nuked the Muricans, the Muricans will have nuked the Ruskies, and there won't be anyone left on Earth anyway.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @04:25PM
That's the electronic noise spike you'd expect to pick up being the target of a large railgun launching a ton of iron at a significant fraction of the speed of light, right?
That'll teach us to be noisy neighbors ...
(Score: 1) by ankh on Wednesday August 31 2016, @04:28PM
The timing is right.
From Wikipedia:
On March 8, 1916, Harold Power with his radio company American Radio and Research Company (AMRAD), broadcast the first continuous broadcast in the world from Tufts University under the call sign 1XE (it lasted 3 hours).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @05:17PM
Ummm if it is 90 light years away wouldn't they have just gotten it 10 years ago? And wouldn't it take another 80 years for us to get the reply?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by jelizondo on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:14PM
Nothing to see here... move along..
Our SETI says [berkeley.edu]:
move along...
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:18PM
Sure, that's what they want you to think!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @10:12PM
LOLz +1
(Score: 3, Informative) by TrumpetPower! on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:27PM
TFA goes off into wild speculation about Dyson spheres without noting that we'd see evidence of a Dyson Sphere long before we we could detect the close-orbit gas giant TFA mentions.
They then start suggesting that aliens with a global government might have directed the transmission straight at us...but it's 95 light years away. It's doubtful the Earth has ever generated any transmission with enough power for a detectable signal-to-noise ratio at that distance, and it's certain that, if we have, it's only been in the past half century. Sure, maybe aliens are beaming signals at every nearby system with habitable-zone planets...
...but something tells me this is going to produce papers for the astrophysicists, not the astrobiologists, and especially not the astrosociologists. Smells much more like exoplanetary thunderstorms or the like than SETI.
Cheers,
b&
All but God can prove this sentence true.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:37PM
The entire purpose of science is to attract attention to scientists, who are greedy attention whores, every one. For the funding. Nothing else matters.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Dunbal on Wednesday August 31 2016, @01:35AM
The entire purpose of science is to attract attention to scientists
Please remove yourself from modern society, take off all your clothes, and go live in the forest somewhere. Science is all around you, and your miserable self benefits from it every moment of every day without even realizing it. You're welcome.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:57PM
It's doubtful the Earth has ever generated any transmission with enough power for a detectable signal-to-noise ratio at that distance, and it's certain that, if we have, it's only been in the past half century.
Seems to me if we wanted to toss a signal at other nearby systems in hopes of making contact, the ones we eventually spot with conditions favorable to life (or better yet where we detected signs of liquid water/possible biology) would be prime candidates rather than broadcasting indiscriminately.
Earth, if detected, might draw some of that action, so it is at least feasible.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @10:01PM
It's feasible but we would have already noticed at least two or three such signals in the night sky.
It just seems like such an utterly improbable coincidence that an alien civilization would decide one day (only) 95 years ago to start sending a signal our way. If there are such directed transmissions, I imagine that the civilization sending them out would understand that it would need to be active for hundreds of millions of years just to hope a technological civilization pops up at the receiving end.
I might be off about the time scale I pulled out of thin air there, but the thing to think about is that if this really were something like that, the HD 164595 b-ians who flipped that switch 95 years ago would still have 95 more years to wait for a reply just to see if right now (relativistically speaking) there are any Sol c-ians who are technologically capable of receiving and replying.
What's the probability that such a 190-year long project would last on this planet uninterrupted by war, politics, etc? Maybe we could transmit for 10 or 20 years, but I highly doubt there would be anybody who would even know to look for the reply in 190 years.
A civilization capable of pulling off something like that in a meaningful way would at the very least be far, far more sociologically evolved than us. Maybe the universe is just too young for too many of those kinds of civilizations to pop up close enough for us to detect. Humanity at least has a very long way to go.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @11:15AM
Probably just about as improbable as a third-rate human social network sending a high-powered signal specifically towards Gliese 581 on exactly 9 October 2008 [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @04:15PM
Even then, they're betting that the Gliese 581 c-ians have a technological civilization right now and they're hoping that they've got their ears pointed in this direction. If they're behind our progress even by a hundred years, they'll miss it no matter how much of an intriguing and high-minded culture they have. If they just happen to not have anything pointed at us while that signal was transmitted, it was a waste of time. It's already improbable that somebody over there will get the message.
Let's assume they do receive it and have more than 6EQUJ5 [wikipedia.org] to show for it. (For all we know, the Wow! signal was something similar, but good luck figuring that out from the only record we have, a few intensity measurements.) Even then, who's going to be listening here in 2029? What if it takes a decade or two our time for them to decide to respond? Even if anybody is listening in 2029, how long before they lose interest and give up?
There's really no point transmitting anything unless it can be done continuously at least on a scale of decades. The other civilization needs time to become aware of the signal so they may focus their best resources on receiving it in full detail.
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Tuesday August 30 2016, @10:14PM
We are already detecting hints of exoplanets at distances greater than 95ly. If we assume an intelligence capable of sending strong signals out can do better than our efforts at detection we can assume they have spotted Earth and realize it is a good candidate for life. So their potentially sending signals at us before our own radio could have reached them isn't problematic. The question we still lack an answer to is how rare is Earth? If the local (as in 1000ly) area only has a few hundred similar candidates we should expect to get painted by a signal if they are simply trying each in succession on a pretty regular basis. What the article lacked is hard info on just how powerful the signal is, what frequency, was there any detectable modulation, etc. Sure, to just splatter it out in a omnidirectional pattern would require transcendent tech but just how much power would a directed beam require to create the received signal from that distance? We don't know because they didn't say. My take is no modulation, no intelligent origin.
(Score: 2) by korger on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:48PM
We have detected lots of signals from the Universe since radio telescopes were introduced, and so far all of those signals proved to be of natural origin. There's nothing about this case that would indicate otherwise. Most likely the best we can hope from further research into this signal is the discovery of a new phenomenon, such as in the case of pulsars [wikipedia.org], which initially, though only shortly, were too regarded as a possible sign of an extraterrestrial civilization.
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:48PM
There is the Wow! signal, which has no explanation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:52PM
We should really only look into alien civilizations if we receive evidence that they have green-skinned women that look in every other respect identical to human women.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:30PM
I'm happy with ones with tails [wikia.com] -- especially twins.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @11:21PM
Hmm, only 10% furry in the JJverse according to this reference [knowyourmeme.com] (can't find the original). Should have stuck with 50% furry in TAS.
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:31PM
Blue would also be acceptable. Damned racist.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @11:18PM
I want to see a blue one and a green one get it on. Drake equation, help me with this.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:52PM
Might as well vote for Trump
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:17PM
Trump will build an even bigger wall to keep the extraterrestrial aliens out. But if Cliton wins, the ET's will get a green card, social security, welfare, drivers licence, college education, housing, and land grabs, all free.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @10:40PM
You are mistaken, Trump's wig is an alien.
(Score: 4, Funny) by RandomFactor on Wednesday August 31 2016, @02:42AM
A wall around the Earth to keep out aliens.... a Donald-san sphere?
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2) by arslan on Wednesday August 31 2016, @03:19AM
and he'll make the aliens pay for that wall.... Clinton will want to offshore all ye stuff to a cheap off planet rock manned by cheap alien labor or automatons.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by MrNemesis on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:20PM
Aren't all signals from deep space going to be extraterrestrial, pretty much by definition...? Hell, there are a fair few man-made signals kicking around now that are extra-terrestrial...
"To paraphrase Nietzsche, I have looked into the abyss and been sick in it."
(Score: 2) by CoolHand on Wednesday August 31 2016, @02:08PM
Well, sure, if you don't count the ones from the little green guys on Mars, or the Neptunians... Obviously, they're not going to talk about those... /s
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:31PM
YAP: Yet Another Psyop to keep space relevant, and keep the hoax of 'globe Earth', 'outer space', 'exoplanets' and 'aliens' going. Those people will hopelessly keep kicking this can along the road for as much as possible.
An international team of scientists
[..] Russia, but was kept secret from the international community.
Oh my. A true conspiracy. Not like other conspiracies that are clearly hoaxes.
(from TFA) This particular civilization’s social structure is theorized to be completely globalized and interconnected.
Cue the 'globalist' part of the psyop: Startrek-like governments, that even after utopia and being beyond money, somehow demand a strict military pyramid to function, where orders cascade down from the top, barely questioned.
There are no 'aliens'. There is no 'outer space'.
Shit's flat as fuck!
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:42PM
Sirius is a spotlight attached to the dome, and at the end of the ocean is a wall...
(Score: 2) by snufu on Tuesday August 30 2016, @09:34PM
B ther in 96 yurs. kthxbye
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Tuesday August 30 2016, @10:27PM
This is an interesting construct, as it contains only one parameter that matters - number of known civilizations (yes, it is set to 1.0, even though its probably 0.9 ;-) ).
So it would seem likely, that if we find one, we'll find loads. The whole "star trek" hypothesis - y'know, Vulcan detects our warp signatures.
The other problem is, that we might be out of time. That is, it takes a billion years to evolve a civilization that can communicate trans-stellar distance, but perhaps they self-destruct some X % of the time? In which case, we might be effectively on our own...
"Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space." D. Adams
(Score: 2) by jelizondo on Wednesday August 31 2016, @12:57AM
The Breakthrough Listen team has posted their archival search [berkeley.edu] at SETI for emission from HD 164595 and the initial analysis of their recent observations.
So there you go...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @06:11AM
Reflection of a radar-gun or supermarket door opener sensor?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @01:09AM
So...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @01:24AM
One of them click-bait sites with crap "contents".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2016, @01:49PM
if an american would have invented the scale it would go something like this:
I. mr. smith-scale: a button the size of a continent that can turn off the local sun (hydrogen fusion inhibitor).
II. mr smith-scale: the button fits into a basement.
III. mr smith scale: the basement button can turn off all suns in the local galaxy.
note to alien receiving this signal via wifi in ~90 years. this is what we call a "joke" and reflects (jokingly) the ideology of a certain race living on our planet. furthermore "humor" is very important to us earthlings, just don't tell jokes to a for mentioned race :)