We’re listening to the space in anticipation of the message for decades. Organizations like SETI analyze unusual radio signals to catch any transmission from intelligent extraterrestrials. But what happens when she’s really with us contact? When we hear something at the same time, or not? Almost 40 years ago the radio astronomer Jerry Ayman scanned the sky hoping to detect signals of extraterrestrial civilizations. And suddenly something caught. The signal was incredibly short, the outbreak, but has issued a separate leap in the chart — a kind of instant transmission. After printing Ayman looked at the splash of red pen and wrote one word: “Wow!”.
Signal Wow! as it was called, never found an explanation, and anything similar are not subsequently heard of. But an organization called the Institute of search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has continued to listen to the airwaves in search of signals that might be created by intelligent life forms in the galaxy and beyond.
What will happen if SETI will hear such a signal? How we will confirm that the transfer is carried out by the aliens? Recently in the media flashed the story of how the astronauts of mission “Apollo-10” heard strange “space music” in his headphones, while on the far side of the moon. Scientists believe that the event was due solely to the interference. However, this episode once again raised the question: how can we distinguish one space from another sound in our search for signs of life?
“Always something to hear and discard, says John Elliott of the University of Leeds Beckett in the UK. Very rarely something hits the target group after the discovery”.
This so-called Post-detection Task Group in SETI — a small Council of scientists who analyze interesting radio signals detected by radio telescopes around the world. Elliott his cock — and he spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be, we discovered extraterrestrial radio waves.
He’s in the organization since 1999 and in all that time the task force had to evaluate only one signal in every couple of years or so. Every day there are a lot of detections, but they are quickly flushed from the accounts as interference or artificial signals. Messages can come from anywhere. There is even a network of volunteers with their own receivers, Seti League, they do their own work.
“If there is a duplicate signal, this is interesting, explains Elliott. — Then we wondered, does this duplicate the signal complexity, could someone send me a language, mathematics or some information”.
We are unlikely to understand what aliens say, immediately — but may work and find out.
The SETI has a list of “possible signals”, as well as the Rio Scale system to classify the significance of any signal. The ranking is based depending on the characteristics of the signal, as it was discovered and how it occurred.
The astronauts of “Apollo-10” remembered and kept “space music” for many years. Their case only recently became public in 2008 when the recording of the incident was published by NASA.
Any really interesting signals received by SETI, will go in to the public — but not before held a strict verification procedure. Actually SETI has a special list of protocols for the detection of such events. It includes and dissemination of data so that they could analyze the third party. Dan Wertheimer of the University of California at Berkeley — also a member of the Post-detection Task Group notes that the group is wary of possible hoaxes.
“This may be a bug in the software or by drawing fools-students, so our goal is to get independent confirmation,” he says.
Interest in any possible extraterrestrial signals, obviously, will be huge. In 2004, astronomers had to cool the hype about the erroneous messages about the discovery of “alien signal”. Last year SETI caught the series from “quick radiospares”, which made me think of scientists. A clear explanation was never found, which led to thoughts about extraterrestrial civilizations.
But then how would one verify this? Among the most important points — the signal traveled the distance. Obviously, if it bounced off of a satellite or space debris orbiting the Earth, it will not indicate extraterrestrial communication. To analyze, SETI needs to analyze their own records to another telescope.
“When you have two telescopes looking for signals, you can perform triangulation to measure the distance to determine the next signal or not, says Wertheimer. But in a matter of urgency this has not been done. — We have never been such that we have permitted the Director of the Observatory and said we want your telescope now.”
Another thrilling Elliott and many others the question is what do we do in case of detection of a signal, as to answer it, if we really calculate its created by an extraterrestrial civilization. Do we want to respond at all?
According to the SETI Protocol, “any response to a signal or manifestation of extraterrestrial intelligence should be sent until you have to have appropriate international consultations”.
“So far there is no consensus on what to do — two main camps, respectively, in favour of Yes, to answer, and no,” says Elliott, adding that we miss the opportunity, if we do not try to answer.
But there’s still another problem — how to communicate without having a common language? Will have to find and to determine the signals that will be common to both civilizations in the Universe.
“We can point to the phenomena, which will be informed civilization, and to use this as a key to start of dialogue,” he says.
This may imply the General designation of the signal representing a “star” or “galaxy” or the counting of astronomical bodies, for example. But we need to take into account the delay in transmission — the nearest star system with a planet 10.5 light years from us. The sending and receiving of the signal will be 21 earth year.
Dan Wertheimer said that all the “interesting” signals are still unexplained, like quick radiospares and signal Wow! or caused by natural phenomena such as supernovae. But he is optimistic and thinks that the universe is filled with life. Earthlings have only to enter the game. It may take some time and we’ll find out the extent of our loneliness.