Mystery space signal is solved (It’s not aliens)
JUL 22, 2017
MIAMI – Astronomers have finally solved the mystery of
peculiar signals coming from a nearby star, a story that sparked intense public
speculation this week that perhaps, finally, alien life had been found.
It hasn’t. The signal, which has been formally named
“Weird!” was interference from a distant satellite.
Of course, astronomers said all along that
extra-terrestrials were quite far at the bottom of the list of possibilities
for the signals detected from Ross 128, a dim star known as a red dwarf some 11
light-years away.
To experts, the true mystery was that they couldn’t figure
out if the bursts were unusual stellar activity, emissions from other
background objects, or interference from satellite communications.
“However, many people were more interested in the signals as
potential proof of transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligent
civilization,” wrote Abel Mendez, director of the Planetary Habitability
Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo in a blog post Friday,
revealing the true nature of the signals.
After further fueling speculation by summoning the world
experts in the hunt for life elsewhere in the universe — The SETI Berkeley
Research Center at the University of California — the team issued its
conclusion.
“We are now confident about the source of the Weird!
Signal,” Mendez wrote.
“The best explanation is that the signals are transmissions
from one or more geostationary satellites.”
The signals only appeared around Ross 128 because it is
located “close to the celestial equator where many geostationary satellites are
placed,” Mendez added.
He also released the results of an informal survey that he
had posted on his website, asking people to weigh in on what they thought the
source of the signals was, and whether or not they were scientists well versed
in the matter.
“Nearly 800 people participated in this informal survey
(including more than 60 astronomers),” he wrote.
The whole group’s consensus was that the signals were most
likely coming from some sort of stellar activity, or some kind of astronomical
phenomenon.
Most people discounted the possibility of radio interference
or instrumental failures, saying these were least likely. This, Mendez
explained, was hardly a scientific approach to the question.
“This is interesting since in the absence of solid
information about the signal, most astronomers would think that these were
probably the most likely explanation,” Mendez wrote.
Furthermore, about one quarter of respondents said “the most
likely explanation of the signal was that of a communication with an
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (ETI),” he added.
“These results reflect the still high expectations the
public maintains on the possibility of contacting ETI.”
Still, all was not lost in these last few weeks of
speculation and tumult.
“The Planetary Habitability Laboratory of the University of
Puerto Rico at Arecibo made many new friends from this experience,” Mendez
said, adding it had been a “great experience of open science.”
“The lesson here is that we all need to continue exploring
and sharing results openly. Some people prefer to only learn about the
successes, but others prefer science in real-time, no matter the end result.”
From fishtank4
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