Is anyone there? SETI tries new trick for finding aliens
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) recently conducted an extensive exploration of more than 1,300 galaxies. The aim was to detect potential signals from advanced civilizations beyond our planet. This groundbreaking research was carried out using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia, focusing on low radio frequencies between 80-300 MHz — a range relatively uncharted by SETI.
SETI's traditional focus and new research direction
Traditionally, SETI has concentrated on detecting alien signals at the 1,420 MHz hydrogen emission frequency. However, this latest study led by Chenoa Tremblay from the SETI Institute in California and Steven Tingay of Australia's Curtin University, deviated from this norm. The researchers targeted a specific region within the Vela constellation, that includes nearly 2,880 galaxies.
Targeted search and potential for detection
The research team specifically focused on 1,317 galaxies within the Vela constellation, whose distances have been accurately measured. This strategic selection allowed them to estimate the power of any potential transmitters in these galaxies. Despite not finding any extraterrestrial signals in their initial search, Tremblay and Tingay concluded that they could have detected a signal with a transmitter power of 7 x 10^22W at a frequency of 100MHz.
Tremblay highlights significance of their research
Tremblay emphasized the importance of their research in a statement, saying, "This work represents a significant step forward in our efforts to detect signals from advanced extraterrestrial civilizations." She also noted that the MWA's large field of view and low-frequency range, make it an ideal tool for such studies. The findings from this study will guide future explorations in the search for extraterrestrial life.
SETI's evolving approach and previous studies
For most of its 64-year history, SETI has primarily focused on stars within our own Milky Way galaxy. However, recent years have seen a shift in this approach. In 2015, the Glimpsing Heat from Alien Technologies (G-HAT) project surveyed 100,000 galaxies via NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Telescope (WISE), but found no evidence of civilizations that may have built "Dyson swarms" around all their respective stars.
Theoretical considerations and future prospects
In 2023, Yuri Uno from Taiwan's National Chung Hsing University, suggested that there might not be more than one civilization within three billion light-years of Earth, that's pointing a radio transmitter with a power above 7.7 x 10^26W at the Milky Way. Despite these theoretical considerations, the search for extraterrestrial life continues with new methodologies and tools being employed, in an attempt to detect potential signals from advanced civilizations beyond Earth.
