Search For Intelligent Aliens Near Bizarre Dimming Star Has Begun

Do you remember the recent story of a star with strange light patterns, as if another civilization had built some sort of array of mega structures such as solar panels around the star? Now scientists are using the Allen Telescope Array to search for radio signals from the star. If they find those, it would show signs of an alien civilization more advanced than our own.

The search for signs of life in a mysterious star system hypothesized to potentially harbor an "alien megastructure" is now underway.

Astronomers have begun using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), a system of radio dishes about 300 miles (483 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, to hunt for signals coming from the vicinity of KIC 8462852, a star that lies 1,500 light-years from Earth.

There could be another explanation to how come the star dims periodically.

But until such an explanation is found, the intelligent-aliens hypothesis will still be on the table, even if the ATA and other instruments like it come up empty. The lack of a detectable signal, after all, does not establish that KIC 8462852 is a lifeless system.

The star may support lifeforms that do not emit signals we can pick up, for example. Or it may once have hosted a civilization that has since gone extinct, leaving the strange megastructure as a sort of monument.

Space.com

Awesome.

Is there a link to the actual article?

a reply to: darkbake

I do indeed remember the story. It is one I was hoping would yield some results, even if those results were just new theories in astrophysics to explain the anomaly. Aliens building stuff would be much cooler though, if a lot more frightening.
Think about it, making structures on the scale of stars is just...brown pants time, right?
Anyway, do you have a link for the quote you posted? I would like to read it.

a reply to: darkbake

Do they really believe that an alien civilization that might have built solar panels around a star would continue to use radio waves? I guarantee you no matter what frequency their looking for their not going to find anything.
Cool discovery nonetheless

originally posted by: TomLawless
Awesome.

Is there a link to the actual article?

Good question, I spaced putting in the link. Thanks for noticing that!

a reply to: darkbake

Nice to see they aren't wasting any time on this, but 1,500 light years away?

I also read an article recently where a scientist claimed that any radio signals could be encrypted and not picked up by the equipment we are currently using.

Edit- I see this has already been questioned.

I'm all for this investigation! Regardless if it's an advanced civilization, or some weird new natural phenomena, we are going to learn something very interesting either way

a reply to: darkbake

Thanks for adding it, Mister.

a reply to: Ghost147

Yep. Any knowledge is good.

It should make for a very interesting find.

I just hope they don't think humans are tasty

Aliens should be far down on the list.




Just like on Mars. It's just a rock. Probably some really big rocks at that.

Perhaps it's an ancient civilization that long ago reached Technological Singularity and it's just artificially intelligent robots building bigger and more intelligent robots and what we see are giant superstructures as part of a natural AI progression. The biological life may be long gone. Is that not, theoretically, where we are headed ourselves? Imagine if left alone for thousands of years to continuously outdo itself. Hmmm.....

don't know, but this story is literally all over the internet. I have ready so many versions. If nothing else, its very interesting. At this point you can't rule in aliens, and you can't rule out. I would hope in their search in addition to listening for radio waves which is probably a waste, they should look for light signals as well and of course any other technological means necessary. I am following this story with great interest.

originally posted by: raedar
Perhaps it's an ancient civilization that long ago reached Technological Singularity and it's just artificially intelligent robots building bigger and more intelligent robots and what we see are giant superstructures as part of a natural AI progression. The biological life may be long gone. Is that not, theoretically, where we are headed ourselves? Imagine if left alone for thousands of years to continuously outdo itself. Hmmm.....

That's possible. On the other hand, wouldn't it be better to keep evolving smaller instead of larger? Nano-technology would need far fewer resources to sustain itself. Depending on how small they got, they could probably pull particles out of the air & use them directly as fuel or building blocks.

Just my 2 cents

This is very exciting news even though I really really doubt that this is truly what it is. I am still very skeptical in that if they truly thought this was alien life that they would release it to the public so openly. It seems to me that it is more of a publicity stunt to garner attention and more funding. Regardless I am going for the ride.

www.intellihub.com... -earth/

“This could be the biggest story in the past five-hundred years,” Michio Kaku explained.

He thinks it's Aliens!

originally posted by: amazing
www.intellihub.com... -earth/

“This could be the biggest story in the past five-hundred years,” Michio Kaku explained.

He thinks it's Aliens!

If it's Aliens, forget the biggest story in the past five-hundred years, it will be the biggest story in the history of mankind.

Can you taste it ATS?

Hope.

It could be in our lifetimes.

We could know in our lifetimes!

This is honestly the first topic I've seen on ATS where I have thought 'aliens' is actually plausible as an answer. It actually isn't the least likely thing for once considering it's 'aliens' or 'unknown' from our perspective right now. This time the odds seem different with a lot of the normal stuff apparently ruled out, whatever it is out there, it is new to us.

What a time to be alive.

originally posted by: enlightenedservant

originally posted by: raedar
Perhaps it's an ancient civilization that long ago reached Technological Singularity and it's just artificially intelligent robots building bigger and more intelligent robots and what we see are giant superstructures as part of a natural AI progression. The biological life may be long gone. Is that not, theoretically, where we are headed ourselves? Imagine if left alone for thousands of years to continuously outdo itself. Hmmm.....

That's possible. On the other hand, wouldn't it be better to keep evolving smaller instead of larger? Nano-technology would need far fewer resources to itself. Depending on hos small they got, they could probably pull particles out of the air & use them directly as fuel or building blocks.

Just my 2 cents

True for certain aspects of technology, but not if it's a Dyson Sphere- it would have to be larger than the planet from which it's capturing power.

A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure that completely encompasses a star and hence captures most or all of its power output.

wiki

originally posted by: raedar
Perhaps it's an ancient civilization that long ago reached Technological Singularity and it's just artificially intelligent robots building bigger and more intelligent robots and what we see are giant superstructures as part of a natural AI progression. The biological life may be long gone. Is that not, theoretically, where we are headed ourselves? Imagine if left alone for thousands of years to continuously outdo itself. Hmmm.....

Maybe it is massive space bee's building a giant space honeycomb.