The SETI@home, SERENDIP, SEVENDIP, Astropulse, and SPOCK SETI Programs
SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Terry Bridges Queen’s University
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Transcript of SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Terry Bridges Queen’s University
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SETI: The Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Terry Bridges
Queen’s University
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What is SETI?
SETI asks: are we alone in the universe?
SETI scientists are using optical and radio
telescopes to search for signals from alien
civilizations
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The Beginning of SETI
1959
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How do we search?
Radio waves can travel large distances … but there’s a
lot of radio “real estate” to cover!
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One Magic Frequency Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe.
H atoms emit radiation in the radio spectrum at a
wavelength of 21cm and frequency of 1420 MHz
(compare CBC radio at 107.5 MHz)
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The “Waterhole”
Water (H20) is also special. OH emits radiation at 1721
MHz. So “waterhole” between 1420-1721 MHz is a
good place to search
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SETI Searches: Past and Present
Radio
Project Ozma, 1960: Frank
Drake looks at Tau Ceti &
Eridani
SETI Institute opens in
1985
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META, BETA: 1986-1999, 60-70% of sky, using Harvard 26
metre telescope
-- searched 80 million frequencies!
-- dish now dead as is BETA (1999)
-- a good survey to detect rare but powerful transmitters
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Project Phoenix: 1993-2004, funded by SETI Institute targeted search of 1000 nearby stars like the Sun used several telescopes including Arecibo and Parkes
Project Serendip: 1997-present piggy-backed onto other telescopes, 150 million freq some of the data goes to SETI@home
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Project Phoenix: 1993-2004, funded by SETI Institute targeted search of 1000 nearby stars like the Sun used several telescopes including Arecibo and Parkes
Project Serendip: 1997-present piggy-backed onto other telescopes, 150 million freq some of the data goes to SETI@home
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The “Wow” Signal
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The Future of SETI:
The Allen Telescope Array Privately funded by Paul Allen and Nathan Mryhrvold
350 x 6m telescopes linked together
Search 100,000 to 1,000,000 stars, at 100 million frequencies
42 dishes now, 350 eventually (if funded!)
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The Allen Telescope Array
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The Allen Telescope Array
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The Allen Telescope Array
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Optical SETI look for optical laser pulses: very focused, can travel across
1000s of light-years, easily detected
Several programs around the world (Berkeley, Harvard, Lick,
Mt. Wilson, Australia
Harvard All-
Sky Optical
SETI Project
1.8m
telescope
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Sending Signals!
In 1974, Frank
Drake sent a
message to the
globular cluster
M13
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The Drake
Message
Can you figure
it out?
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Should We Send Messages?
Pro: detecting another civilization would be very exciting
we could learn a lot from an advanced civilization
Con: will they be friendly or nasty?
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What if we detect a signal?-- it would be checked carefully by the discovering scientists
-- it would have to be verified by other observatories
-- if real, all astronomers and governments would be notified.
-- how would the public react? Would there be panic?
Probably an internet meltdown …
-- could we figure out what the message says?
-- should we respond to the message?
-- if so, what do we say?
-- what would the long-term implications be?
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Fermi-Hart Paradox: “Where are They?”
We have searched for 50 years with no detection: statistically,
probably less than 10,000 broadcasting civilizations
If there are advanced civilizations, would expect one of them to
have colonized the galaxy: so “they” should be here now! Fermi
asked: where are they?
Presumably means there's not many of them ...
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Useful Resources
The SETI Institute: www.seti.org
The Planetary Society: www.planetary.org
“Confessions of an Alien Hunter” by Seth Shostak
“If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens …” by Stephen Webb
“Life Everywhere” by David Darling
SETI@home: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/
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