Discovery of pulsars
British astronomer Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was the first to discover a pulsar in 1967 when she saw a radio pulsar.
Since then, other types of pulsars have also been observed emitting X-rays and gamma rays.
Pulsars are essentially rotating, highly magnified neutron stars, but when they were first discovered, they were believed to be from aliens.
‘Wow!’ Radio signal
In 1977, an astronomer searching for extraterrestrial life in the nearby skies over Ohio saw a powerful radio signal so strong it excited him “Wow!” next to his data.
In 1977, an astronomer searching for extraterrestrial life in the nearby skies over Ohio saw a powerful radio signal so strong it excited him “Wow!” next to his data
The 72-second explosion, noted by Dr. Jerry Ehman through a radio telescope, came from Sagittarius, but did not match any known celestial body.
Conspiracy theorists have since argued that the ‘Wow! signal ‘, which was 30 times stronger than background radiation, was a message from intelligent aliens.
Fossilized Martian Microbes
In 1996, NASA and the White House made the explosive announcement that the rock contained traces of Martian insects.
The meteorite, cataloged as Allen Hills (ALH) 84001, crashed into Antarctica’s frozen debris 13,000 years ago and was recovered in 1984.
Pictures were released of elongated segmented objects that appeared strikingly lifelike.
Photos were released of elongated segmented objects that appeared strikingly lifelike (photo)
However, the excitement didn’t last. Other scientists wondered if the meteorite samples were contaminated.
They also argued that the heat generated when the rock was blown into space created mineral structures that could be mistaken for microfossils.
Behavior of Tabby’s Star in 2005
The star, also known as KIC 8462852, is located 1,400 light-years away and has baffled astonomers since its discovery in 2015.
It dims much faster than other stars, which some experts say is a sign that aliens are harnessing the energy of a star.
The star, also known as KIC 8462852, is located 1,400 light-years away and has baffled astonomers since it was discovered in 2015 (artist’s impression)
Recent studies have “eliminated the possibility of an alien megastructure” and instead suggest that a circle of dust could be causing the strange signals.
Exoplanets in the Goldilocks zone in 2015
In February of this year, astronomers announced they had seen a galaxy with planets that could support life only 39 light-years away.
Seven Earth-like planets were discovered orbiting the nearby dwarf star “Trappist-1,” and they could all have water on their surface, one of the most important components of life.
Three of the planets have such good conditions that scientists say life has already evolved on them.
Researchers claim they will know within a decade if there is life on any of the planets, saying ‘this is just the beginning’.