An international squad of astronomers has detected an interesting radio signaling that looks like originating from a nearby star scheme .
The sign was seen on May 15 , 2015 , by theRATAN-600radio scope in Zelenchukskaya , Russia , and it seems to be coming from HD 164595 , a Sun - like star about 95 light - years off . The squad has get over the system for 15 months , and so far there have not been any repetition .
HD 164595 is orbited by a warm - Neptune exoplanet . It has 16 meter the mass of Earth and orbit its star every 40 day , name it too red-hot for life to have form there . The spike in the receiving set signal was very powerful and it fits the visibility for an artificial transmitting , with only aone in 5,000 chanceof it being a trematode of the legal document .
These fact are promising , but they do n’t mean that it ’s a signal from an exotic culture . Earthly radio interferences could excuse this alone signal ; sometimeseven microwaveovens have worry for radio telescopes !
Another potential account is that the star acted as a lens and amplify a tuner signal from a background beginning , making it appear that the signaling was actually local . Sometimes , natural phenomena might appear artificial in origin , especially if we have not discovered anything like it before . For example , when first get a line , the pulsate neutron whizz known as pulsars were dub small Green Men .
accord toGeekWire , Douglas Vakoch , president of METI International , said his research mathematical group would start monitoring HD 164595 as soon as potential . The Boquete Optical SETI Observatory and the Allen Telescope Array will begin keeping an pinna on the system . Vakoch was responsible for thefollow - up observationsof Tabby ’s Star last year .
Although the SETI observations are happening , some scientist are skeptical . Speaking toGeekWire , senior SETI astronomer Seth Shostak say : “ This is a act of a puzzling story , as the Russians found this sign a class ago or so , but just did n’t let others know . That ’s not good insurance , as what you really want is confirmation at another telescope , but … Is it actual ? The sign may be literal , but I mistrust it ’s not ET . ”
The observations will be presented later this month at theInternational Astronautical Congress .
[ H / T : GeekWire ]
