Posted on 10/25/2021 9:48:32 AM PDT by Red Badger
Last December news leaked that the Breakthrough Listen project, part of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), had picked up an unexplained signal from the direction of Proxima Centauri. Although everyone involved stressed how unlikely it was that our first evidence for alien intelligence would come from the nearest star to our Sun, some dared to hope. Further research, however, has made Earth-based interference a near-certain explanation.
There are many reasons to study Proxima Centauri besides the possibility of technological radio emissions. Australia’s giant Murriyang radio telescope was pointed towards the star primarily to study stellar flares, but in the process collected a wealth of other data. In October 2020, Breakthrough Listen intern Shane Smith noticed something very odd at 982 MHz in recordings made in April 2019, which was subsequently given the name BLC1. Having ruled out all the most common explanations, Smith and colleagues were still looking into more exotic options in December when news leaked.
Now, however, two papers have been published in Nature Astronomy revealing the disappointing truth. Not only is there no evidence for aliens in our cosmic backyard, but BLC1 wasn’t even the product of a previously unknown natural astronomical phenomenon, which would have been an excellent compensation prize.
More than 4 million narrowband signals were detected during the time Murriyang was pointed at Proxima Centauri and a comparison point in the sky, the first paper reports. However, most of these were immediately ruled out since they were detected in both directions, indicating the cause was local interference. A remaining 5,160 so-called “events” were picked while pointed at Proxima, but not the comparison point, but only one survived filtering tests that eliminate easily explained cases.
“The event does not lie within the frequency range of any known local radiofrequency interference (RFI), and has many characteristics consistent with a putative transmitter located in another stellar system,” the paper notes. This made it the most promising candidate for an alien signal since the Wow! signal in 1977, but from the start, few thought this was the real thing.
The second paper confirms that skepticism was wise. It describes the processes undertaken to investigate possible explanations for BCL1, including seeking similar signals in historical data and follow-up observations of Proxima.
Approximately 60 BLC1 “look-alikes” were found in other directions and by other telescopes. “The signals are spaced at regular frequency intervals in the data, and these intervals appear to correspond to multiples of frequencies used by oscillators that are commonly used in various electronic devices,” Dr Sofia Sheikh of UC Berkeley, lead author of the second paper, said in a statement.
BLC1 is thought to have more complex origins than most of the counter-parts, otherwise the signal would have remained when Murriyang took data from its reference point. It is thought likely different sources of local radio-frequency interference mixed together to create BLC1, although exactly what these were remains unsolved.
“This is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing signals we’ve seen to date,” said Breakthrough Listen's Dr Andrew Siemion. Nevertheless, “It’s highly unlikely that it is really from a transmitter out at Proxima Centauri.”
Breakthrough Listen focused their attention on Proxima Centauri in the first place because it is known to host at least one planet in what is usually considered the habitable zone, where temperatures are right for liquid water. However, Proxima also erupts in intense flares and coronal mass ejections, which many astronomers think would strip nearby planets of their atmospheres, and sterilize any life that somehow emerged. The project was designed to investigate these flares in greater detail to explore whether there is any hope for an atmosphere to survive.
Cave men ran when lightning strikes hit—that did not mean they understood what lightning was...
Compensation prize? Do they mean consolation?
Get lost.
Yeah I’ve seen that one too....................
How many cavemen do you know?
Well, they understood it enough to run back in their caves with a piece of the burning tree. Thus, the creation of fire and coupling in warmth under the mastodon covers. Great times before the female learned to say, "Can I have a kiss first?".
That's not why I'm not friends
You got me—lol.
“Arrival” is one of the best SF first-contact films ever made IMHO.
I thought is was a interesting concept of coupling time travel and clairvoyance. I would think there have been others, but can't recall. I liked it.
My theory: It was mariachi music from renegade radio towers south of the border.
Yes, it was well done and the concept is beyond imagination.
What if that’s exactly what they want you to think??????..................
From 1936.....................
Signal origin discounted. But signal its self translates to, “Cixin Liu is our spokesperson”.
“Cave men ran when lightning strikes hit—that did not mean they understood what lightning was...”
But they “detected its existence” which is your comment I replied to.
Perhaps I should have been clearer—we may well encounter “alien life” but think it is a natural phenomenon.
My view is that any advanced alien civilization would include the capacity to camouflage its existence “in plain sight”.
Thanks Red Badger.
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe · Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·
Very true.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
