In the 70 A Come Andromeda , the television series adapted from a story by Fred Hoyle, was able to stick to the television screen 17 million viewers. But if the news of a mysterious signal coming from a star 95 light-years away were true, then the “viewers” of this unusual remake could be billions. But first things first.
THE DISCOVERY MADE IN RUSSIA
The discovery of the signal is about one year ago, on May 15, and the “transmission” seems to indicate how provernienza the star HD 164595, a star that is nearly 100 light years away in the constellation of Hercules characteristics similar to our sun. A honest, it must be said that this is not a mysterious celestial body as Kepler, a space telescope to hunt for exoplanets, he has already revealed in its vicinity a planet the size of Uranus. but there’s more. Scientists believe the planet is part of a larger system and consider it likely that there are other planets in a rocky, like our Earth, the so-called habitable range. To receive the signal were Russian scientists working at the largest radiotelescope Ratan-600 Caucasus Mountains.
(The Russian radio telescope RATAN-600 on the Caucasus mountains)
THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
The Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is very interested in the news since the purpose for which it was created, but we go with feet of lead. Some years ago another signal had given hope that there might be someone there, but then the message analyzed at Arecibo in 2004 had proved a false alarm. “The signal detected by the Russians -Enter the technical explanation from their profile Fb Massimo Teodorani, INAF astronomer who was in the Seti project at the observatory of Medicine in Bologna-, is distributed over a very wide frequency band, a billion times wider bandwidth typically used by the SETI project in the Western world, so the signal, with all its harmonics, would be diluted and would look very weak. After the technical ad is these days for the Allen Telescope Array American astronomers (ATA) were immediately put to work for groped to confirm the signal found by the Russians. And then, since they work in very narrow band, they will have to scan a very wide range of frequencies to hope to find the signal of a specific radio band: for this reason the signal may be less weak to what appeared to RATAN-600. For now, the American astronomers can not confirm anything, and it will take a lot more work to cover 1 GHz bandwidth. “
THE TWO POSSIBILITY ‘
“If the signal was confirmed -continuous Teodorani- that does not mean that this should necessarily be a SETI signal type. According to Seth Shostak, a spokesman for the American SETI, the signal may also be due to the “gravitational microlensing” phenomenon that amplifies very occasionally a signal (radio in this case) because of the relativistic distortion of light by a gravitational field, or it could be due to mere electromagnetic interference caused by us. So there are many problems to solve before saying the last word should be established two things: to confirm the signal; establish what exactly causes it. “
IF IT WERE REALLY ET?
Professor Teodorani also analyzes the most amazing possibility, namely that we can really deal with a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization. “If indeed it were an intelligent signal -sintetizza still prof-, then there would be two more chances. If the signal is intentional and a targeted sent to our solar system then it would be from a Type I civilization (of a little more advanced than ours). While if the signal is non-intentional, that is part of a “broadcasting” which sends signals in all directions, then it would be from a civilization of Type II (able to harness the energy of their star). In fact the amount of energy that a hypothetical extraterrestrial civilization would place it identifies the kinds of increasing energy going to the Type I to Type III. Finally, to obtain a final confirmation of an intelligent extraterrestrial signal is essential that more radio telescopes located in different parts of the world they give confirmation and not one only, and that the signal is more or less persistent over time. A received signal only for a short time should be discarded. “
(The graph of the signal received by the radio telescope Ratan 600
15 May 2015)
THE SUMMIT OF ASTRONAUTICS IN MEXICO
Of this and other outstanding issues will be discussed on September 27 at the International Astronautics Congress to be held in Mexico, in the city of Guadalajara. The scientific program of the meeting is really full of initiatives. Among the many also one concerning the patron of Tesla and Space X, Elon Musk. The entrepreneur of South African origins will also speak of his most ambitious project: the colonization of Mars which will start after 2025.
STELIO Montebugnoli, MEMBER OF ITALY SETI
Professor Stelio Montebugnoli is a veteran of Seti. For some time now he’s retired, but his passion looking for “interesting” signals, as he calls them, still more than before. “Meanwhile, we say that the signal must be reconfirmed explains the radiastronomo-, considering the fact that our Russian colleagues I have never picked up, you have to go with feet of lead. Currently there are several hypotheses, repeat assumptions, such as that of signals from satellites in orbit or travel to different planets of the Solar System. I repeat, we are still in the study phase and should never making mistakes as in the past. Besides, it is not even said that the signal arrives from that star, it could come from a star that is in the same direction but behind HD 164595, or in its immediate vicinity. In short, concluded Montebugnoli- expect any confirmation. “
WAITING AND SUSPENSE
At this point there is nothing left to do but wait, if the proviente signal from the star in the constellation of Hercules actually has an intelligent origin, it must be verified in a capillary and precise. Moreover, the so-called Tabby star, the one on which system someone has ipoptizzato the existence of a civilization, is still under examination. But the horizons are expanded and there are many who believe that sooner or later the confirmation of alien intelligence is near.
THE planetary scientist MARCHIS: EYE THAT ARE THE SIGNAL OF A MICROWAVE OVEN
But the case there are some who throw water on the fire as in the case of Franck Marchis, planetary scientist and member of the Seti Institute. He says: “The signal was detected in May 2015 and has not been repeated since. Unfortunately, although the international protocols require to alert the astronomical community for the detection of a mysterious signal, the russii have chosen not to. The signal was detected by a dedicated antenna but it could be an error-continuous Marchis-, the pointing quality is uncertain and then you might have caught what we call a false “parasitic signal. HD 164595, the host star is very similar to the sun (the same color, size and age). and ‘ninety light years from Earth and has a known planet HD164595 B, which is probably similar to our Neptune. orbit very close to its star every forty days. For now, however, an Earth-like planet around this star, and I do not think there’s one we have not yet identified. this is what the current theories on the formation of planetary systems are telling us. But there is no reason why life could not exist on the giant planet satellites present in the star system, but for now these are pure speculation. Finally, concluded ironically Marchis-, before being too excited, it should be mentioned the case happened in 2015 at the Parkes Observatory in Australia. In that case, the signal did not come from 95 light years, bensìda a nearby microwave oven whose door had been opened by astronomers. “
enzo.vitale@ilmessaggero.it
Twitter @enzotvitale
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