Not A Drill - SETI Is Investigating A Possible ET Signal From Space - Observer

Not a Drill: SETI Is Investigating a Possible ET Signal From Space | Observer
BUSINESS & TECH
Not a Drill: SETI Is Investigating a

Possible Extraterrestrial Signal
From Deep Space
If the signal is truly from an alien world, its one far more advanced than
ours
TRENDING NOW
Not a Drill: SETI Is

Investigating a Possible
Extraterrestrial Signal From
Deep Space
By Robin Seemangal 08/29/16 11:02am

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http://observer.com/2016/08/not-a-drill-seti-is-investigating-a-possible-extraterrestrial-signal-from-deep-space/[08/09/2016 22:40:09]
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Jodie Foster as a SETI scientist in the film Contact, based on Carl Sagans book about E.T. communication. (Image:
Warner Bros)
An international team of scientists from the Search for Extraterrestrial

Intelligence (SETI) isinvestigating mysterious signal spikes emitting from a 6.3billion-year-old star in the constellation Hercules95 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
reporterPaul Gilster broke the story after the researchers quietly circulated a
paper announcing the detection of a strong signal in the direction of

HD164595.
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Places Most Likely to Have Alien Life In Our
Solar System
The mysterious stars designation is HD164595, and its considered to be sunlike 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 orbitHD
164595 b. But as Gilster explained, There could, of course, be other planets
still undetected in this system.
Decorated Italian SETI researcher and mathematician Claudio Maccone along
with Russias Nikolai Bursov of the Special Astrophysical Observatory are the
principal scientists working on the apparent discovery. They claim that
permanent monitoring of this target is needed.
The RATAN-600 Radio Telescope in Russia. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The signal conceivably fits the profile for an intentional transmission from an
extraterrestrial source, said Alan Boyle, author of The Case for Pluto who
reported the story for Geekwire. In any case, the blip is interesting enough to
merit discussion by those who specialize in the search for extraterrestrial

intelligence.
The signals strength indicates that if it in fact came from a isotropic beacon, the
power source would have to be built by a Kardashev Type II civilization. (The
Kardashev scale is used to determine the progress of a civilizations
technological development by measuring how much energy was used to
transmit an interstellar message.) An Isotropic beacon means a
communication source emitting a signal with equal power in all directions while
promoting signal strength throughout travel.
In his acclaimed work Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial
Civilizations, Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev explained that a Type II
civilization would be able to harness the energy of their entire host star. The
most common hypothetical example of this would be a Dyson Spherewhich is
a massive artificial structure that could completely encapsulate a star and
transfer the energy to a nearby planet.
A cut-away diagram of an idealized Dyson shell, a variant on Dysons original concept. (Photo:
Wikimedia Commons)
Basically, if the signal was beamed out into the galaxy without aim or direction,
that would require an enormous amount of power to actually be detected. But
what if the signal was beamed specifically at our solar system? Well, that would
require less energy and could indicate the presence of a Kardashev Type I
civilizationmeaning that it could be a highly technological, contemporary
society that harnesses the solar energy emitted by its local star, much like our
planet does with solar panels. This particular civilizations social structure is
theorized to be completely globalized and interconnected.

The signal is provocative enough that the RATAN-600 researchers are calling
for permanent monitoring of this target, said Gilster. And thats exactly what is
transpiring. As of last night, the SETI institute is diverting its Allen Telescope
Array in northern California to investigate while their counterparts at METI
International (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) will usePanamas
Boquete Optical Observatory.
The detection of the mysterious signal and the ensuing investigations will be
discussed at the IAA SETI Permanent Committee during the 67th International
Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, on September 27the same
day and location where Elon Musk will reveal his plans to colonize Mars. The
Observer will be following up on both these stories from the Congress.
Robin Seemangal focuses on NASA and advocacy for space exploration. He
was born and raised in Brooklyn, where he currently resides. Find him on
Instagram for more space-related content: @nova_road.
COMMENT
FILED UNDER: HD164595, RATAN-600, RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL
INTELLIGENCE, SETI, SPACE
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