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SETI Has Observed a 'Strong' Signal That May Originate From a Sun-like Star (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Russia has detected a strong signal around 11 GHz (which is very unlikely to be naturally-caused) coming from HD164595, a star nearly identical in mass to the Sun and located about 95 light years from Earth. The system is known to have at least one planet. If the signal were isotropic, it would seem to indicate a Kardashev Type II civilization. While it is too early to draw any conclusions, the discovery will be discussed at an upcoming SETI committee meeting on September 27th. According to Paul Gilster, author of the Centauri Dreams website, "No one is claiming that this is the work of an extraterrestrial civilization, but it is certainly worth further study. Working out the strength of the signal, the researchers say that if it came from an isotropic beacon, it would be of a power possible only for a Kardashev Type II civilization. If it were a narrow beam signal focused on our Solar System, it would be of a power available to a Kardashev Type I civilization. The possibility of noise of one form or another cannot be ruled out, and researchers in Paris led by Jean Schneider are considering the possible microlensing of a background source by HD164595. But the signal is provocative enough that the RATAN-600 researchers are calling for permanent monitoring of this target."

22 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. I am not saying it's aliens. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    But it's aliens.

    1. Re:I am not saying it's aliens. by Joce640k · · Score: 5, Funny

      We need to start building a wall, now!

      (and get them to pay for it)

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      No sig today...
    2. Re:I am not saying it's aliens. by InfiniteLoopCounter · · Score: 4, Funny

      First we need to send the lawyers to see if they are legal or illegal aliens.

    3. Re:I am not saying it's aliens. by peragrin · · Score: 5, Funny

      I vote we send them all our lawyers to verify that.

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    4. Re:I am not saying it's aliens. by JustOK · · Score: 4, Funny

      and telephone sanitizers

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      rewriting history since 2109
    5. Re:I am not saying it's aliens. by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

      But it's aliens.

      And aliens from a Kardashian Type II civilization, no less.

      I propose we launch several of our own Kardashians in that general direction to investigate.

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      #DeleteChrome
    6. Re:I am not saying it's aliens. by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 4, Funny

      Kardashian Type II civilization -- that's when the silicone-injected ass becomes so large it encompasses an entire star, right?

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  2. 11 GHz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Is used for microwave communication, so it could be that. A bounced signal or something.

    1. Re:11 GHz by prograsm · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's also used for WiFi, so it could be a galactic Access Point. Watch, it's just a misconfigured alien laptop rebroadcasting HPSETUP

    2. Re:11 GHz by budgenator · · Score: 4, Informative

      yes that's X-band (7.0 to 11.2 gigahertz (GHz)) used by military, and civilians mostly for Radar, Amateur radio has a frequency band in there (10.000 to 10.500 GHz,) to., The satellite communication band Ku (12–18 GHz) has (the band 11.2–12 GHz the working definitions of Ku band and X band overlap) is in there as well. A lot of weird shit can happen in those frequency bands, and it's not unusual for people to play around there doing things that aren't strictly legal, you'd be surprised the havoc someone can cause with a fluorescent light, some waveguide and an old TV dish.

      When we were doing receiver alignments and got to noise tests, we had to turn off the fluorescent lights because they pumped out a lot of X-band high end noise.

      --
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  3. Or not..? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I usually don't post anything here, but...It seems like not all are that impressed.
    https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=80193#1813506

    1. Re: Or not..? by Calydor · · Score: 4, Funny

      That is a very old signal.

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    2. Re:Or not..? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      100 years into the future Earth mathematicians break the code.

      "Drink more Ovaltine."

  4. No one claims by Crashmarik · · Score: 3, Funny

    and they are going to keep not claiming very loudly and repeatedly.

  5. Kardashian Type II civilization? by s1d3track3D · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please no, we can't take a Kardashian civilization!

    1. Re:Kardashian Type II civilization? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What now, Kardashian or civilization, you can't have both.

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    2. Re:Kardashian Type II civilization? by Bongo · · Score: 4, Funny

      You know, for a loong time, whenever I heard mention of Kardashians, I thought they were talking about Cardassians. Which left me blissfully unaware of their existence, and everyone else wondering, what planet was I from.

  6. SETI has observed nothing by Donwulff · · Score: 5, Informative

    Except possibly in the widest sense of "SETI has observed someone else observing"... A Russian radio-telescope site claims it has observed the alleged signal well over a year ago - which should give you an idea how important this observation is. The headline, copied straight from ARS Technica though, isn't just ordinarily imprecise, but anyone who's on social media is already aware of the original observation, and is now eagerly waiting for independent confirmation. Without that, it can be anything from an attempt grabbing funding to a Russian radio-frequency jammer test. Because of that, an idependent SETI observation would be very significant. Unfortunately, it's likely a rare event since they've not managed to spot it again in over a year.

  7. High Kardashev means the opposite by Ecuador · · Score: 3, Informative

    This has been played out in the media in a way that a "high" Kardashev (no relation to the Kardashians I believe) is exciting, in that it points to a very advanced civilization. In reality it is the opposite, a signal requiring a civilization to have fully harnessed a star means that it is less likely to be an actual ET signal.

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  8. It's not aliens by hawguy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Aliens that are advanced enough to signal us with that kind of power aren't going to find us advanced enough to be worth talking to if they can even understand our primitive methods of communication at all. If there's anything we have that they want, they'll just come take it, much like we don't ask permission before clearcutting forests inhabited by animals. Even if they just want to study us, our scientists don't send a beacon to an ant colony before they come and fill the ant colony with molten aluminum to take a casting -- so there's no reason to think that advanced aliens would do so either, they'll just come and do their studies and if they happen to kill humanity with their research techniques, that's just a necessary part of research, no big loss.

    1. Re:It's not aliens by drinkypoo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Aliens that are advanced enough to signal us with that kind of power aren't going to find us advanced enough to be worth talking to if they can even understand our primitive methods of communication at all.

      Sometimes we make noises that will attract animals so that we can study them.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  9. Re: you get signal by citylivin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sorry, which country is true capitalism? All i see around here are state sponsored monopolies, global corporations who make their own rules, the military industrial complex and lobbyists.

    If you live in the west, and probably everywhere else, you live in corporatism, not capitalism.

    The grand parent was saying that the current corporate culture of profit driven "capitalism" is akin to slavery with its destruction of the individual, and the race to the bottom. Maybe slavery got us computers and all that, but it also built the pyramids. The ends don't necessarily justify the means, and certainly aren't the only way to go about doing things. I fail to see your point. That computers wouldn't have been invented if not for monopolies? If you know the history of technology that is not what happened. In fact its the reverse. Small companies like microsoft defeating huge behemoths like IBM. (Which then of course became just as ruthless as the companies they successfully usurped, starting the cycle all over again)

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