SETI

The woo is out there UFOlogy

Aliens did it...

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...and ran away

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“”Is there anybody out there?

—Pink Floyd “Is There Anybody Out There?”

SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) is a collective term for activities that search for extraterrestrial life, specifically intelligent life, "out there." When people talk about "SETI" as an entity, they usually mean the SETI Institute, a non-profit organization, or conflating other people's efforts with the Institute.

Aliens on my radio

The method employed so far in the search has been reading the radio-frequency noise emitting from various stars and attempting to detect artificial signals.

Most signals received and analyzed have turned out to have natural explanations. Regardless, the methods employed by the group are scientifically sound, and their reports often feature in prominent journals. So even if SETI doesn't find life out there, it has discovered some very interesting non-life out there.

The Wow! signal

Wow! signal

In 1977 SETI picked up the Wow! signal. Astronomer Jerry Ehman heard 72 seconds of radio data possibly transmitted from space.

See also

• Astrobiology
• The Arecibo message wouldn't be within RationalWiki's mission, but we have an article on the Arecibo answer
• The Drake Equation for guessing probability of intelligent extraterrestrial life.
• Alien invasion, a potential consequence of SETI

External links

• SETI and the Wow! signal
• 1/5 Are We Alone In The Universe? (Video about possible aliens.)
• When Will We Discover the Extraterrestrials? This film is very long.
• SETI@home Does your computer have spare processing power? If so, SETI could use your help.

References

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