Reuters: Did SETI find an alien signal?

[GonzoCircus]

Text

Thu Sep 2, 8:32 AM ET


LONDON (Reuters) - An unexplained radio signal from deep space could -- just might be -- contact from an alien civilization, New Scientist magazine reported on Thursday.


The signal, coming from a point between the Pisces and Aries constellations, has been picked up three times by a telescope in Puerto Rico.


New Scientist said the signal could be generated by a previously unknown astronomical phenomenon or even be a by-product from the telescope itself.


But the mystery beam has excited astronomers across the world.


"If they can see it four, five or six times it really begins to get exciting," Jocelyn Bell Burnell of the University of Bath in western England told the magazine.


It was broadcast on the main frequency at which the universe's most common element, hydrogen, absorbs and emits energy, and which astronomers say is the most likely means by which aliens would advertise their presence.


The potentially extraterrestrial signals were picked up through the SETI@home project, which uses programs running as screensavers on millions of personal computers worldwide to sift through the huge amount of data picked up by the telescope.

 

[sandorski]

Maybe that's why BOINC is borked! :|

 

[DotheDamnTHing]

their coming....

 

[huesmann]

It was a hiccup on the equipment.

 

[DeeKnow]

and the signal reads...... d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-.....d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-...d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: DeeKnow
and the signal reads...... d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-.....d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-...d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-

Heheheh :thumbsup:

 

[geecee]

So Independence Day or Contact?

 

[chess9]

"God's going to destroy the world on November 3 if Bush is elected." -that's the message.

Trust me on this.



Anyway, let's hope it's a real alien signal. Doubtful, very doubtful, but the prospect is thrilling and almost beyond comprehension.

-Robert

 

[Czar]

.... the elections are on nov3?

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: chess9
Anyway, let's hope it's a real alien signal. Doubtful, very doubtful, but the prospect is thrilling and almost beyond comprehension.

-Robert

I hope so too, would confirm the Ship I saw with my neighbor back in 1971. :shocked:

 

[smashp]

maybe it was Kodos and Kang


You can't stop us now Humans, it's a 2 party system! Hahaha" Kang: "What
are you going to do? Vote 3rd party!? Go ahead, throw your vote away"

 

[Darkhawk28]

To be on topic, the head of the SETI program went on the radio a couple nights ago to say that the signals were NOT from extraterrestrials.

 

[ReiAyanami]

first, we must determine if they have oil or not

 

[chess9]

Czar:

When were the results final in 2000? November 3 might even be a bit "optimistic".

-Robert

 

[DotheDamnTHing]

Originally posted by: ReiAyanami
first, we must determine if they have oil or not

hahahah

 

[Genesys]

Originally posted by: ReiAyanami
first, we must determine if they have oil or not

unless we can devolp a fster form of space travel, oil will be obsolete by the time we can get any back here

 

[Infohawk]

Wouldn't these messages have to have originated a long time ago in the past?

On a more serious note, we can only assume these aliens are not white anglo-saxon protestant christians. Hence, pre-emption will be necessary to convert them. What kind of excuse can we make now that we look like clowns when it comes to WMDs?

 

[dmcowen674]

Easy guys.

It was a false alarm. I spoke with Dr Anderson today. He is the Director of the SETI@Home Project.

Here is his Official take on the "signal".

David:
Good to hear from you.
Very sorry to hear about your breakup.

The "signal" report is a false alarm caused by an overzealous reporter.
Our Science Newsletter #22 (from last April) describes the signal in question.
It's a "barycentric Gaussian" consisting of 3 Gaussians heard at different times.
"Barycentric" means the the frequencies of the 3 are close enough that
the transmitter is compensating for their orbital acceleration by
changing frequency (so that we would hear it at fixed frequency).
But the 3 Gaussians have high chirp rates (-8, -11, and 36 Hz/sec),
which contradicts the assumption of barycentric adjustment.

In a nutshell: the computer screening makes this signal look interesting,
but human screening reveals that it's not an ET signal.

(feel free to copy this on the msg boards if you want).

-- David

 

[GonzoCircus]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Easy guys.

It was a false alarm. I spoke with Dr Anderson today. He is the Director of the SETI@Home Project.

Here is his Official take on the "signal".

David:
Good to hear from you.
Very sorry to hear about your breakup.

The "signal" report is a false alarm caused by an overzealous reporter.
Our Science Newsletter #22 (from last April) describes the signal in question.
It's a "barycentric Gaussian" consisting of 3 Gaussians heard at different times.
"Barycentric" means the the frequencies of the 3 are close enough that
the transmitter is compensating for their orbital acceleration by
changing frequency (so that we would hear it at fixed frequency).
But the 3 Gaussians have high chirp rates (-8, -11, and 36 Hz/sec),
which contradicts the assumption of barycentric adjustment.

In a nutshell: the computer screening makes this signal look interesting,
but human screening reveals that it's not an ET signal.

(feel free to copy this on the msg boards if you want).

-- David

Thanks. Some people will do anything for a story.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Damn. False signal? I was already to start trading with "our new alien friends"

Maybe next time.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Infohawk
Wouldn't these messages have to have originated a long time ago in the past?

Thats very true, Radio waves only travel at the speed of light. Granted, this signal was a false alarm, but you never know when we'll pick up an Alien base ball game.



Oh, one more thing, Vote Bush.

 

[Kierkegaard]

"Only travel at the speed of light"

Vote Bush ... Bush who?

 

[Xenon14]

Originally posted by: DeeKnow
and the signal reads...... d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-.....d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-...d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-

On the contrary... the signal has a much more distinct pattern; f-l-i-p...f-l-o-p...f-l-i-p...f-l-o-p...

 

[Shuxclams]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: DeeKnow
and the signal reads...... d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-.....d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-...d-o-n-t-v-o-t-e-f-o-r-b-u-s-h-

Heheheh :thumbsup:

Even aliens hate him............








SHUX