Radio search for ET draws a blank

BBC News Online ^ | Thursday, March 25, 2004 | By Dr David Whitehouse

[Joe Hadenuf]

The scientists looked at 800 nearby stars with no evidence of a signal from ET.

800 out of uncountable *billions* of star systems.

[RadioAstronomer]

Ewwwwww. Why mess up a thread with that photo. :-(

[RadioAstronomer]

So...would we be looking for a doppler shift from a planetary-orbit in a narrow band?

Exactly. In fact, by the use of FFTs, many narrowband frequencies are scanned simultaneously. They are also checked for a doppler shift due to planetary motion.

[Aracelis]

Hmmm...I still think that any life that probably exists "out there" is about as technologically advanced as we are. However, it certainly doesn't hurt to look, particularly since Gen III stars may have formed earlier in other parts of the Universe.

[PatrickHenry]

They are also checked for a doppler shift due to planetary motion.

To escape detection, an advanced species would send out Doppler-shift-proof signals. (But I can't imagine how they'd manage that trick.) Well, maybe they'd only send out very brief signals at the same time each day. You'd never see a difference.

[Aracelis]

How sad! This person obviously hates him/herself and is in serious need of spiritual and psychological help.

[ASA Vet]

SETI at home has been running on my computers for a couple years.
I still haven't received a payment from the "tax-paying suckers."
I thought I was doing it as my contribution to research.

[null and void]

They're heeeeeeere.

Indeed.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Who says the ET's have to use radio to communicate? They might have something that makes radio look like smoke signals. Sub-space frequencies open, captain!

[RadioAstronomer]

I thought I was doing it as my contribution to research.

Indeed you are. :-)

[RadioAstronomer]

Well, maybe they'd only send out very brief signals at the same time each day. You'd never see a difference.

Except our planet is rotating as well. :-)

[BlazingArizona]

Assuming you can get money from tax-paying suckers and from folks so rich they've run out of other projects to fund (e.g., Paul Allen of Microsoft $$$ just gave some more funds to the ET search.)

Not only is SETI privately funded and far bigger than the crappy little federal program it replaced, but it is producing so much radiotelescope data that a whole new computational form, grid computing, had to be developed to reduce the data. This technique, setting millions of scattered PC's to work on small chunks of the data set, is now being applied to similar problems like protein folding. If you don't like lending the spare cycles on your PC to SETI, you can apply it to cancer research.

[fella]

Have any of our space probes been turned to face earth to see what kind of radio signal we put out?

[Las Vegas Dave]

Is Earth in your UWAG? < /humor >

I believe there are much more civilizations than you estimate. It is entirely possible that advanced civilizations may be beyond radio as a means of communication, or use a different method altogether .

I saw a TV science show a few years ago theorizing that someday soon (a few hundred years?), we will be a silent planet, no broadcasting of any kind, all communication similar to cable or fiber optics.

This may be off topic, but for the past several decades sightings of aerial phenomena have been reported, have any communications ever been reported?
(Looks like a ping is needed for Quix's comments.)

[BradyLS]

Maybe God made man to populate the universe... pretty cool, all those resources.CS Lewis had a take on that...

[Phil V.]

I'm going to keep plenty of rolls of foil around to make those double-strength hats. They are coming, it's only a matter of time.

You HAVE GOT to be kidding. Wherethhell have you been? THEY ARE HEE ALREADY, DOOFUS

[PatrickHenry]

Except our planet is rotating as well.

Well, that would affect any signal you get, artificial or otherwise.

[Phil V.]

Just my two cents.

YOU'RE too modest, RA.
Your comment is worth at least $0.05.

[longshadow]

This person obviously hates him/herself and is in serious need of spiritual and psychological help.

I'd say bathing ought to be the first priority.....

;-)

[longshadow]

Well, that would affect any signal you get, artificial or otherwise.

Unless our antennae were located at the poles, or the target star system lies on a line parallel to our polar axis

;-)