Six more radio signals from deep space deepen mystery: Are we being hailed by intelligent beings?

Scientists have discovered six more bursts of radio signals coming from a place in deep space outside our galaxy from where similar signals were detected earlier this year and in 2012.

A total of 17 such radio signals have been received from this location in space, and given their nature, speculation has already begun on whether we are being hailed by extra-terrestrial life forms.

The signals -- detected at the Green Bank Telescope in the US and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, according to an article in the Astrophysical Journal -- are described as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). Discovered only in 2007, FRBs are really fast radio signals that last for only a few milliseconds, and can be detected only with special equipment.

Six more radio signals from deep space deepen mystery: Are we being hailed by intelligent beings?

Things are really heating up in the Search for ET arena. Having received 17 of these signals in total (starting in 2007 again in 2012 and again in 2016) from the *same* region is space is remarkable. What's also remarkable about these Fast Radio Bursts (FRB's) is...

...that even though they exist for such small durations, they tend to generate so much energy that it could parallel the amount of energy generated by the Sun for a whole day!

With new talk of potential past life on Mars based on certain atmosphere readings, potential life under the ice in Europa and stories like this, I'm beginning to think that some form of real disclosure may be imminent.

What do you folks think of this?

a reply to: Riffrafter

This is pretty exciting, I wonder if their source will ever be revealed....

I will stick with the neutron star. Seems galaxies have a mechanism for creating them.


From same article

www.ibtimes.co.in...

However, that would mean that FRBs would be unpredictable, and be detected only one or two at a time. The recently-detected ones came six at a time, putting a big question mark on their origin. Although the alternate explanation now is that the FRBs are coming from a single neutron star, rotating with power so great that it is emitting FRBs

a reply to: Riffrafter

Whether from very sophisticated ETs or natural quirks, it depends not. The simple discussion of the cause is another tilt along the road for recognizing that other life forms are probably out there and could be of such a scope that we could hardly conceive of how they eat their breakfast and interact with the universe.

Remnants of a Martian race may, indeed, be putt-putting around in their last few ships and be responsible for UFO sightings in our area of space and countless examples of their existence ignored and denied, but allow the the promise of distant godlike creatures of unimaginable abilities punching into our awareness for a 17 times and science goes bananas. "Tis strange how humans attempt to cope with and protect their self-conceived specialness.

a reply to: Riffrafter

Magnetar quake?

a reply to: Riffrafter

could parallel the amount of energy generated by the Sun for a whole day!

This amount of energy more or less rules out ET I think .... So much energy just to communicate ???
As excited as I am right now I've seen this before, it's always turns out to be a (unknown) natural phenomenon a hoax or a measurement error....

a reply to: Riffrafter

With that much energy in a a burst just a few seconds long, I'm thinking it has to be some natural space phenomena, not a a sent signal from aliens.

It's Cheela sending us messages from the surface of a neutron star.

.........What? No one reads classic Science Fiction anymore? Sigh....."Dragon's Egg'? Robert L. Forward?

en.wikipedia.org...'s_Egg

Dragon's Egg is a 1980 hard science fiction novel by Robert L. Forward. In the story, Dragon's Egg is a neutron star with a surface gravity 67 billion times that of Earth, and inhabited by cheela, intelligent creatures the size of a sesame seed who live, think and develop a million times faster than humans.

a reply to: frenchfries


I can imagine a high tech device which behaves much like what we know as a 'LightHouse'


a beacon of radio energy, crammed with a densely packed 'code' (their version of HTTP) that sweeps around the sky just like the 'lighthouse' beam-of-light in the proposed analogy


only an advanced enough civilization would be able to detect the pulses of radio-waves packed with code

only an intelligent & advanced but distant civilization would seek to decipher the code in these short bursts

While this may be interesting, I would guess that if a civilization, or Life were trying to contact 'anybody' they would broadcast likely in mathematic sequence or by planetary cyclic movement.

"(FRBs). Discovered only in 2007, FRBs are really fast radio signals that last for only a few milliseconds, and can be detected only with special equipment."

And if they were sent in FRB, milliseconds, you would think the compression of information could be manipulated to a speed we might discern information from.
The day Earth receives a Hail from another world, everything here will stop, if only momentarily, people will stand and take notice. It won't have to be dredged from some obscure news entertainment organization, it will be Stand-up News.

Someone is just assuming that there was that much energy responsible for creating the signal.

a reply to: St Udio

I can imagine a high tech device which behaves much like what we know as a 'LightHouse' a beacon of radio energy, crammed with a densely packed 'code' (their version of HTTP) that sweeps around the sky just like the 'lighthouse' beam-of-light in the proposed analogy

Good one HTTP lighthouse comes in mind....
And they do that for many mijlons of years ? I mean what is the change we detect a pulse during the 'sending time'.
Look I understand what you saying , basically they use tech that we use too just somewhat bigger. But the energy output equal to an entire sun output of a day unlikely ??? So what's the point.... another civilization hears a big beep. Can we communicate ? how much time takes it to communicate ? Why not going at sublight speed to an planet with methane output (one can see that with spectrometer) ? Takes less energy and leads to real communication. Timedilatation would make for a very fast trip in the reference frame of the alien astronauts....
Anyway exited as I am I still think it's just a glitch ...

a reply to: Riffrafter

.that even though they exist for such small durations, they tend to generate so much energy that it could parallel the amount of energy generated by the Sun for a whole day!

The stars are talking to each other.

a reply to: Plotus

my thoughts exactly, is there a pattern or just random noise.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Riffrafter

.that even though they exist for such small durations, they tend to generate so much energy that it could parallel the amount of energy generated by the Sun for a whole day!

The stars are talking to each other.

I wonder what the stars would say to each other?

*i keep getting these black spots on my face, got any good cream?*

a reply to: Riffrafter

Radio signals seem rather an ineffective way of propagating information across interstellar distances, especially if you require any meaningful response in an acceptable time period. Then again if they are coming from within our own star system that's a whole different kettle of fish.

HAs anyone tried to take all of these signals and edit them together? Maybe its a hidden code in the frequency or speed of the transmissions.

originally posted by: DAVID64
It's Cheela sending us messages from the surface of a neutron star.

.........What? No one reads classic Science Fiction anymore? Sigh....."Dragon's Egg'? Robert L. Forward?

en.wikipedia.org...'s_Egg

Dragon's Egg is a 1980 hard science fiction novel by Robert L. Forward. In the story, Dragon's Egg is a neutron star with a surface gravity 67 billion times that of Earth, and inhabited by cheela, intelligent creatures the size of a sesame seed who live, think and develop a million times faster than humans.

That sounds neat.

What do they do? Fly or swim? What's their environment like? Just violent and fiery?

Awesome find! There's no way we are the only intelligent life within such an unfathomably massive universe, the universe is perfect for life, just look at the ecosystem our planet alone has.

Unfortunately these signals were most likely sent millions of years ago and the thing that sent it most likely gone. Fascinating story though, S&F.

originally posted by: annoyedpharmacist

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Riffrafter

.that even though they exist for such small durations, they tend to generate so much energy that it could parallel the amount of energy generated by the Sun for a whole day!

The stars are talking to each other.

I wonder what the stars would say to each other?

*i keep getting these black spots on my face, got any good cream?*

Hey, quit gravitating towards me. Signal before you change lanes. Braking for no friggin reason.