Stranger Things

Astronomers say they have detected strange signals coming from the direction of a small, dim star located about 11 light-years from Earth.

Researchers picked up the mysterious signals on May 12 using the Arecibo Observatory, a huge radio telescope built inside of a Puerto Rican sinkhole. The radio signals appear to be coming from Ross 128, ared dwarf starthats not yet known to have any planets and is about 2,800 times dimmer than the Sun.

Abel Mndez, an astrobiologist at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, said the star was observed for 10 minutes, during which time the signal was picked up and almost periodic.

Mndez said its extremely unlikely thatintelligent extraterrestrial lifeis responsible, but noted the possibility cant yet be ruled out.

The SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] groups are aware of the signals, Mndez wrote in an email to Business Insider.

While Arecibo is known for its role in efforts to search forsignals from aliens, its also great for looking at distant galaxies andpinging near-Earth asteroids. Mndez thinks the signal is more likely from something humans put in space, perhaps a satellite that passed thousands of miles overhead.

The field of view of [Arecibo] is wide enough, so there is the possibility that the signals were caused not by the star but another object in the line of sight, Mndez said, adding that some communication satellites transmit in the frequencies we observed.

However, ina July 12 blog postabout the mystery of Ross 128, he wrote that we have never seen satellites emit bursts like that and called the signals very peculiar.

Another possible explanation is a stellar flare, or outburst of energy from the stars surface. Such bursts from the sun travel at light-speed, emit powerful radio signals, and can disrupt satellites and communications on Earth, as well asendanger astronauts.

Solar flares can also be chased by a slower-moving yet more energetic coronal mass ejections: a flood of solar particles that can distort our planets magnetic field, generate geomagnetic storms, andcripple power gridsandfry electronics.

To see if the signals are still there, Mndez said Arecibo is going to stare down Ross 128 and its surroundings many more times, starting July 16.

Success will be to find the signal again in the star but not in its surrounding[s]. If we dont get the signal again then the mystery deepens, he said. We are not sure if we can get to the bottom of this mystery from just the next observations if that was a rare event.

But FAST isnt operational right now, since its being calibrated, and Mndez said he doesnt know when it will be back online.

Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, confirmed that the group is well aware of the signals and might use its powerfulAllen Telescope Arrayin California to check them out.

The chances are high that theyre terrestrial interference, in fact. Thats really always been the case, Shostak told Business Insider in an email.

Right now theres really onlyone compelling signalfrom outer space that might come from aliens: [T]he WOW signal, Shostak said. That one is still quite odd.

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Astronomers Have Detected Strange Signals Coming From a Star 11 Light Years Away - Futurism