It’s another meeting that is not that close.
A team of alien-hunting scientists investigate a radio signal from Earth’s closest star – drawing comparisons to the mysterious “Wow!” signal from 1977, according to a report Friday.
Astronomers at the Breakthrough Listen Project – a $ 100 million mission to find life in space using radio telescopes – picked up a wave emission they believe came from the Proxima Centauri star, which is 4.2 light years away, the report said. Guardian.
The researchers, who detected the beam in Australia in April, said it is worth investigating because its frequency was consistent with a planet’s motion.
“It’s the first serious candidate since the ‘Wow! signal, ” the group told the outlet.
In 1977 astronomer Jerry Ehman discovered radio waves that he called the “Wow!” signal while using the Ohio State “Big Ear” telescope in Delaware. The signal – which was 30 times stronger than the usual background radiation – could not come from Earth, scientists said at the time.
Astronomers have since theorized that the waves came from passing comets, not extraterrestrial life.
Scientists with the Breakthrough Listen Project are preparing to investigate the latest signal, called BLC1, in a research paper.