A group of astronomers from a scientific study hunting for extraterrestrial life, including the late Stephen Hawking, has now discovered the best evidence yet for an alien signal originating from space.
Researchers have discovered an “intriguing radio signal” emanating from Proxima Centauri, the nearest solar system to the sun, only 4.2 light-years away.
The transmission was received.
The team of researchers from project Breakthrough Listen is “seriously investigating” a mystery radio signal from our nearest star neighbor, Proxima Centauri.
According to a report published by The Guardian, the signal appeared with only minor fluctuations in a narrow band of frequencies around 980 megahertz. Corresponding to a region of the radio spectrum that is usually devoid of transmissions from satellites and artificial or human spacecraft was already received by the Australian Parkes radio telescope in April and May 2019.
According to the experts, the signal came from the direction of Proxima Centauri, our sun’s nearest neighbor in space.
Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light-years (about 40 trillion kilometers) from Earth and has two verified planets. A Jupiter-like gas giant and a rocky Earth-like world called Proxima B in the “habitable zone,” a region where liquid water may flow on the planet’s surface.
Because Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf, the habitable zone is incredibly near the star. This means the planet is likely tidally locked and exposed to intense radiation, making the formation of any civilization, at least on the surface, unlikely.
Is there a third planet in the system?
Even though the signal has not been linked to any terrestrial or human-made sources near Earth, it is likely to have a natural cause. Even so, the unusual sign has taken alien hunter astronomers by surprise.
As a result, the radio signal detected in the 980 megahertz range and the frequency fluctuations identified by the Parkes telescope are compatible with planet movement. This means it could be proof of a third planet in the system rather than hints of an alien civilization, which the experts think is “extremely implausible.”
According to Pete Worden, director of Breakthrough Initiatives, the signals are most likely interference from ground sources that we can’t explain. However, he did say that it was critical to wait and see what the project scientists found out after carefully scrutinizing the signal.
The awe!
According to scientists, this is one of the most thrilling radio signals since the Wow!, which sparked speculation that it came from a distant alien civilization.
The Wow! was a short-lived narrow-band radio signal picked up by the Big Ear Radio Observatory in Ohio during a search for extraterrestrial intelligence (Seti) mission in 1977.
The odd signal was given its name after astronomer Jerry Ehman scribbled “Wow!” on a piece of paper. It prompted a rush of enthusiasm alongside the data. However, Ehman warned against taking “vast implications from medium-length data.”
