CSIRO/A. Cherney
Astronomers have spotted what may be the strongest candidate yet for an alien signal. Researchers at the Breakthrough Listen project have found an unusual beam of radio light coming from around our nearest neighbouring star, Proxima Centauri, according to a report in
The Guardian on 18 December.
Any purported discovery of aliens always has to be taken with scepticism. That is especially true in cases where a signal appears to be a possible technosignature, a sign of alien technology rather than simply life beyond Earth. The Breakthrough Listen team has been extremely cautious about this find. “No one is claiming it’s a technosignature,” tweeted Pete Worden, chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.
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Astronomers are investigating a mysterious radio wave from Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the sun, in their search for extra-terrestrial life.
The signal was detected by the Parkes telescope in Australia in April and May 2019, with scientists unable to find a source of the waves that could come from Earth.
The frequency is around 980MHz and is particularly narrow, with the changes in frequency consistent with the movement of the planet,
Scientists are preparing a paper on the signal, which has been named BLC1 (Breakthrough Listen), but have stressed that it is unlikely to be caused by aliens.