Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!dipper From: dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: StarDate: March 7 Project Sentinel's Anniversary Message-ID: <1065@utastro.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 02:00:22 EST Article-I.D.: utastro.1065 Posted: Thu Mar 7 02:00:22 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 06:57:22 EST Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX Lines: 37 Astronomers are listening with radio telescopes for signs of extraterrestrial civilizations. More -- after this. March 7 Project Sentinel's Anniversary Today is the second anniversary of an ambitious project to look for other intelligent life in the universe. Project Sentinel -- funded by the Planetary Society -- is searching specific radio frequencies that might be in use as interstellar communication channels. There are a vast number of such possible channels. Astronomers have tried to narrow down their listening choices to certain plausible radio frequencies -- ones that would be recognized and might be selected by any technologically advanced species. One such universal channel is the radiation frequency of neutral hydrogen atoms -- since hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in the universe. Still, even if we pick and choose, there's an enormous range of signals to check. In 1983 Project Sentinel brought Harvard University's 84-foot radio telescope out of retirement -- and put it to work listening continuously -- day and night -- for possible radio emissions from other civilizations. A frequency analyzer divides the information collected from the radio telescope into one hundred and twenty-eight thousand separate bands -- and each band is checked for strong or unusual electronic patterns that could be carriers of interstellar communication. This year Project Sentinel astronomers plan to expand its monitoring capacity to eight million channels. So far we've heard nothing from another civilization. If there are other advanced lifeforms -- then perhaps we haven't tuned in at the right time on the right channel in the right direction in space -- yet. Script by Diana Hadley. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin