Optical-SETI Anomaly: Australian Astronomers Detect Unusual Signal

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Anomaly
AI Thread Summary
In December 2008, Ragbir Bhathal's team detected a strong, unusual laser signal that remains unexplained and has not reoccurred. Bhathal, an astrophysicist at the University of Western Sydney and a SETI course instructor, is investigating the signal to determine if it was a glitch, an astrophysical phenomenon, or random noise. He emphasizes the need for peer review before making any public announcements, acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the signal's origin. The discussion raises questions about the feasibility of using laser pulses for communication in space, highlighting that while laser technology is integral to modern communications, the specifics of how it could be applied in this context are not fully understood. Participants express curiosity about the nature of such signals and the frequency of similar optical anomalies, suggesting that existing laser technology might provide insights into the phenomenon.
Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,194
Reaction score
2,473
... And indeed, in the first week of last December (2008) Bhathal's team detected an unusual strong laser signal that could not have been identified nor did it re-occur since: "It may be a glitch in our equipment, or some astrophysical phenomena (e.g an optical pulsar) or some unknown source. We are still investigating it", told Bhathal to the German online-newsmagazine "Grenzwissenschaft-aktuell.de"...
http://grenzwissenschaft-aktuell.blogspot.com/2009/05/australian-seti-astronomers-detect.html
 
Physics news on Phys.org


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25448647-30417,00.html

But when Ragbir Bhathal, an astrophysicist at the University of Western Sydney, who teaches the only university-based course on SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) in Australia, detected the suspicious signal on a clear night last December, he knew better than to crack open the special bottle of champagne he has tucked away for the history-making occasion.

Instead, he's spent the past few months meticulously investigating whether the unrecognised signature was caused by a glitch in his instrumentation, a rogue astrophysical phenomenon, or some unknown random noise.

Even if he picks up the signal again - he's been scouring the same co-ordinates of the night sky on an almost daily basis since - the scientific rule book dictates he'll need to get it peer-reviewed before he can take his announcement to the world. "And that is a lot of ifs," he concedes.
 
Last edited by a moderator:


Interesting indeed, although it always seems that the signal lasts for a second and then disappears never to be heard again! Same thing happened with the 'Wow' signal. What does he mean by laser pulses anyway? I don't get how you could communicate using laser pulses to some rocket in outer space?
 


math_04 said:
Interesting indeed, although it always seems that the signal lasts for a second and then disappears never to be heard again! Same thing happened with the 'Wow' signal. What does he mean by laser pulses anyway? I don't get how you could communicate using laser pulses to some rocket in outer space?

http://seti.harvard.edu/oseti/
 


math_04 said:
I don't get how you could communicate using laser pulses to some rocket in outer space?

it's been experimented before, I think the military is exploring this technology because of the insane bandwidth you can cram on a pulse of light

 
Last edited by a moderator:


Yes, and we use pulsed LASER in every fiber optic line. It is the basis of modern communications technology.
 


math_04 said:
What does he mean by laser pulses anyway? I don't get how you could communicate using laser pulses to some rocket in outer space?


You would modulate it, like any other signal.
 
How often do optical anomalies that look like the detected pulse occur? Considering how prevalent laser equipment is, surely there's very good information on this?
 

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top