No, SETI Has Not Detected Alien Signals From Space

The Bad Astronomer writes "Rumors are going around that SETI astronomers have detected possible alien signals from space. Bottom line: signals were detected when the Green Bank Telescope was pointed at target planets discovered by Kepler, but the signals are almost certainly interference from man-made satellites orbiting the Earth. This happens pretty often, so we need to be aware that these kinds of false positives pop up."

Comments

"almost certainly"

[mehrotra.akash]

So, theres still a chance of aliens

Re:"almost certainly"

[TheRaven64]

It's a smegging garbage pod!

Oblig

[should_be_linear]

I, for one, welcome our new satellite-interference-simulating-before-landing-and-raping-us overlords.

Call me an idiot ...

[Anonymous Coward]

If you’re pointed at an alien transmitter, then moving the telescope will point you in a different direction, and the signal should go away. On the other hand, strong satellite signals can be detected by radio telescopes even when they point in another direction; the signal can leak into the telescopes even when you’re pointed well away.

If you move a thousand miles and the source is a thousand light years away, the angular deviation is almost precisely zero.

But if you move a thousand miles and the source is ten miles away, you're basically moving out of the source's way.

So wouldn't you expect the signal to go away for a man-made satellite, and stay for an alien signal? That's the precise opposite of what they're saying.

And if telescopes in any location, pointing to some specific direction, pick up the same satellite, surely they also pick it up when pointing to other stars? So this satellite that magically interferes with two different telescopes must be a real problem for those telescopes.

Something smells fishy to me.

Re:Call me an idiot ...

[ColdWetDog]

If you move a thousand miles and the source is a thousand light years away, the angular deviation is almost precisely zero.

But if you move a thousand miles and the source is ten miles away, you're basically moving out of the source's way.

So wouldn't you expect the signal to go away for a man-made satellite, and stay for an alien signal? That's the precise opposite of what they're saying.

Side lobes. Radio transmitter antennas typically do not radiate in a perfectly spherical, cow shaped arrangement. There are strong lobes and weak (side lobes). If you track the signal through space, you should get a pretty good idea what the shape really is. You can compare that to the generalized, known shapes of the antenna radiation patterns are on various spacecrafts and get a pretty good idea if it's either a satellite or the most godawful giant radio transmitter the universe has ever seen.

Signal Partially Translated

[knarfling]

I have managed to obtain a copy of the signals and have partially translated them. Some of the concepts are untranslatable and I am not completely sure about the things I was able to translate, but here is what I have so far.

My fellow [untranslatable]. It is [concept of time] for [choosing/electing] supreme [unknown concept]. My [friend/acquaintance/opponent] is a [feeble-minded/stupid] [weak/ineffective] [some sort of insect]. [Reminds me/makes me think] of a [not sure here, might be human]. I [pledge/promise] a [small animal] in [each/all/every] [cooking container]. I will [reduce/lower] [required payments/taxes]. [Elect/vote for] Kodos in [unknown time].

Hmmm .... seems like a political speech. No intelligent life out there after all.