First Look at Kepler SETI Candidate Signals

UC Berkeley ^

[LibWhacker]

We've started searching our Kepler SETI observations and our analyses have generated some of our first candidate signals. Each of the signals below is shown in a pair of plots, one from an observation of Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) 817 and one from an observation of KOI-812. During an observation, we alternated between targets to enable us to rule out signals seen coming from two different places in the sky. If we see a signal coming from multiple positions on the sky, it is very likely to be interference.

What do these plots represent?

These are plots of electromagnetic energy as a function of frequency and time. Brighter colors represent more radio energy at a particular time and frequency. For example, a radio station transmitting at 101.5 MHz would produce a large amount of energy near that frequency.

Why are these signals interesting?

These signals look similar to what we think might be produced from an extraterrestrial technology. They are narrow in frequency, much narrower than would be produced by any known astrophysical phenomena, and they drift in frequency with time, as we would expect because of the doppler effect imposed by the relative motion of the transmitter and the receiving radio telescope.

Download all 12 candidate signals in a .pdf file.

[LibWhacker]

Now THIS is interesting. Have they found alien radio signals or not? Looks like the real deal to me. However, they are not making that claim yet; they're still checking them out and calling them "candidate" signals. Hold your breath...

[unkus]

ping

[Inyo-Mono]

Hmmm.

[I see my hands]

The folks at SETI asked Zero to give a listen. It was worth a shot.

[MHGinTN]

It was a perfectly good thread until you dropped a turd in the punchbowl.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[I see my hands]

"It was a perfectly good thread until you dropped a turd in the punchbowl."

That's okay.. you're still perfectly good.

[davisfh]

Holding breath. Very interesting and encouraging. I can’t imagine anything in nature producing such a constant signal.

[garjog]

[Liberty Tree Surgeon]

Ping for Quix.

[garjog]

[Clock King]

Yeah, right. Who's to say the ET's aren't some sort of Imperial Communist Super State hellbent on converting every being they meet.

[svcw]

Very interesting. I really love the SETI watches.

[dfwgator]

“Send more Chuck Berry”

[garjog]

Signals from Planet Koozebane and the Merdlidops?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRhg-_HwOBc

[smokingfrog]

[TigersEye]

Signals or just the by-product of some kind of machinery?

[Johnny B.]

These AREN'T potential signals from another star!!! These are examples of what such a signal might look like!!!

From the article:

We've started searching our Kepler SETI observations and our analyses have generated some of our first candidate signals. Each of the signals below is shown in a pair of plots, one from an observation of Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) 817 and one from an observation of KOI-812. During an observation, we alternated between targets to enable us to rule out signals seen coming from two different places in the sky. If we see a signal coming from multiple positions on the sky, like the ones below, it is very likely to be interference. The signals below are undoubtedly examples of terrestrial radio frequency interference (RFI).

[6SJ7]

Wouldn’t it be wild if we could begin listening in or watching broadcasts from another civilization across the galaxy! It might be the Ceti Alpha version of “I Love Lucy”.

[Mister Da]

If you play the second one on your mp3 player, it says, “NObama”, over & over.