-Caveat Lector-
In a message dated 99-12-07 18:34:40 EST, you write:
> -> IUFO Mailing List
>
> Where is this star? Do you have any more information? I think this is
> really exciting.
>From Sightings:
SIGHTINGS
Intelligent Signals From
Space - SETI Correction
From George Filer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12-7-99
Apparently you can't believe every thing you read. Kevin
Dalley of SETI Institute wrote to inform me that I had
put
out erroneous information concerning a signal from
space.
This was somewhat of a shock because, I read the story
in the Home News Tribune (Central New Jersey's Voice
since 1879).or at least the copy of it provided to me
in Pat
Marcatillio's UFO Meeting at the Hamilton Square Library
on December 1, 1999. I even heard rumors of some kind
of contact.
The next day I put out the story, but several readers
asked
for confirmation. I went to the Home New Tribune
website at www.injersey.com/hnt November 29, 1999, to
find out if the story was true. The entire story is
carried
on their website, but is quite a bit longer than the
story
carried in the newspaper. They apparently cut the last
part
of the story to fit it in the newspaper. It is the
truth as far
as it goes. Apparently, what initially had been a strong
signal faded. Unfortunately so does the story.
Here's the latest UPDATE ON THE FRONT PAGE
STORY that included a nice photo of ET from the movie.
The news paper article cuts off the full Gannett news
release giving the impression that this is a strong
signal
coming from a small star HD119850. Apparently, some
contact was made for a short while, but it hasn't
continued
and this is the key. I guess I too got caught up in
hoping
there was real contact.
My newpaper article copy ends at the bottom of A-2 with:
"And in a universe of 50 billion galaxies, each made up
of
a half trillion stars, the chances of striking ET gold
are
radically remote." Apparently the editor cut the story
here.
The entire Home News Tribune website article is carried
below and goes on to say what was thought to be a strong
signal from space faded away. Unfortunately the article
ending on the bottom of Page A2, in the newspaper infers
that we are getting a strong signal.
--
Was It A Blip Or A Beacon From The Cosmos?
By Todd Halvorson Gannett News Service Published in
the Home News Tribune 11/29/99 Second of three parts
11-29-99
ARECIBO, Puerto Rico - Call it a close encounter with
what promises to be the most important scientific
discovery of all time.
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE photo
With galaxies such as the Milky Way strewn with
Earthlike planets, the chances of hearing from someone
like E.T. -- shown here in a still from the 1982 film --
may not be too bad.
Midway through the midnight shift at the world's largest
radio telescope, astronomer Jill Tarter picked up what
appeared to be a signal coming from a small star named
HD119850.
There was no mistake. The beacon came in loud and clear
at 1535-MHz on the telescope's radio dial.
Yet it matched nothing in the computer's database of
known terrestrial noise: cellular telephones, pagers,
radars
and satellites that often masquerade as broadcasts from
alien beings.
What's more, a backup telescope in England was hearing
the same beacon -- a clear sign the signal was not salsa
music from a San Juan radio station bouncing back off
the
atmosphere.
Tarter, the real-life inspiration for the character
played by
actress Jodie Foster in the movie "Contact," took
immediate notice and a long drink from an oversized
coffee mug.
Snapping to attention in her wheeled office chair, she
rolled over to a computer and tapped at its keyboard.
Then her voice, almost giddy, rose in pitch.
"You may be here for something important," she said.
As the 21st century approaches, pioneering researchers
are uncovering signs that suggest primitive life may be
abundant in the universe. But Tarter and her colleagues
are after much bigger game: proof that intelligent life
exists
elsewhere in the cosmos.
Tarter, 55, is chief scientist with the SETI Institute
of
Mountain View, Calif., a nonprofit, privately financed
group that carries out a Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence.
Scientific vagabonds, the institute's two dozen
astronomers and computer engineers have no permanent
home base other than some suburban office suites near
San Francisco. Their meager budget goes to buying
telescope time at Arecibo Observatory.
Located high atop a mountain, the heart of the
observatory is a massive aluminum dish that covers 20
acres. Radio signals bounce off the dish and into a
900-ton instrument carrier suspended by steel cables
above it.
The equipment works like a giant ear, enabling SETI
scientists to listen for radio signals from faraway
stars.
The premise is that those stars could harbor the
planetary
homes of intelligent civilizations.
The signal that got Tarter's attention came from a star
106
trillion miles away from the Arecibo control room, a
bland
computer lab with off-white walls and worn linoleum
floors.
All the "listening" is done by computers that scan 28
million radio channels in search of unmistakable,
repetitive
artificial signals from other solar systems.
The problem is distinguishing what could be an alien
call
from the growing cacophony of terrestrial noise. An
increasing gaggle of satellites above Earth swamp the
airwaves with signals for cell phone conversations and
TV
programs. Radio stations broadcast constantly, and
military and civilian radars scan the skies for enemy
intruders and commercial airliners.
Here's how it's done: Should a promising signal pop up,
SETI computers first compare the beacon to a catalog of
known local noise. Any signal that matches is discarded
automatically. But if the beacon is unfamiliar, a second
radio telescope at Jodrell Bank near Manchester,
England,
swings into action.
If Manchester radio telescope doesn't detect the suspect
signal, then the beacon isn't coming from a distant
star:
It's local Puerto Rican noise that hasn't been
catalogued.
But if the signal is strong enough to be picked up
thousands of miles away in England, too, then the beacon
is put to another test.
An alien signal truly coming from a distant star would
arrive in the United Kingdom at a slightly different
frequency than it would in Puerto Rico. It also would
drift
just a bit on the radio dial.
That's because Earth is rotating, and the telescopes in
Puerto Rico and England are widely separated.
Those subtle differences are predictable enough to be
calculated with great precision, providing a
mathematical
way to make certain that Earthly jabber isn't mistaken
for
a message from afar.
The suspicious beacon that startled Tarter passed the
first
two alien signal tests. On cue, the huge Arecibo
telescope
automatically began to swing a few degrees, pointing not
at HD119850 but at blank sky, in yet another test.
A true signal from ET would disappear, a result of the
telescope being aimed away from the target star. But if
it
persisted, then it couldn't be coming from the far-off
star
because the telescope no longer was pointed at it. It
would
have to be local interference.
This time, it vanished.
And when the British telescope nodded away from the
target, the beacon disappeared there, too. Maybe, just
maybe, Tarter was on to a most astounding discovery.
But as the telescope ground its gears, the pragmatic
Tarter
immediately started to discount the possibility of
making
contact.
After all, the star is only one of 1,000 being
scrutinized by
SETI scientists. And in a universe of 50 billion
galaxies,
each made up of a half-trillion stars, the chances of
striking ET gold are radically remote.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ENDS HERE ON-LINE
CONTINUES
In fact, the prospects for success are so slim that
people
often wonder why serious astronomers would devote
entire careers to such a pursuit.
"Some people would say it's nutty to toil your whole
life
and never see the results, and that's a distinct
possibility
here," admitted SETI scientist Seth Shostak, 56. But
"think of the enormous payoff. I mean, this is the
purest
longshot horse in science today. But if we succeed, it's
really big. So you accept the low odds."
Tarter, too, knows the needle-in-the-haystack nature of
the search, and as the Arecibo telescope locked back on
to
HD119850, she stared intensely at the 19-inch computer
screen before her.
But SETI computers decided the signal had not been the
real thing. That was it. The show was over.
Outside, the grinding of telescope gears meant the
computers were moving on to the next star on a
preprogrammed target list.
Tarter slumped back in her chair, a bit deflated.
What initially had been a strong signal, she said, had
faded. If aliens were phoning, the volume on the
telephone here on Earth wasn't high enough to hear the
second ring.
"Maybe that was E.T. shouting once and never again,"
she said.
� copyright 1999 Gannett News Service
November 29, 1999
Go Back
Copyright �1997-1999 IN Jersey. Use of this site
signifies
your agreement to the Terms of Service (updated
2/25/98). Site design by IN Jersey.
--
The SETI Institute's sent this message to correct the
information.
Subj: NEW INTELLIGENT SIGNALS FROM SPACE
Date: 12/5/99 8:23:33 PM Eastern Standard Time From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Kevin Dalley) Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Kevin Dalley) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unfortunately, you have incorrect information on your
web site (http://ufoinfo.com/filer/1999/ff_9948.html)
about the discovery of an extraterrestrial signal.
The SETI Institute did not find an intelligent signal.
We
did look at HD119850 during this observing run. Other
than that, many parts of this report are accurate.
The SETI Institute did observe HD119850 from Arecibo,
on March 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, and April 4. There were a 4
times where we looked for a signal away from the target
star, followed by an on target observation. The signals
were not confirmed in the on target followups.
At Arecibo and Jodrell Bank, there is a significant
amount
of interference and it is common to have off source and
on source confirmations. While a real signal would go
through the same process, these off source and on source
confirmations are not really unusual enough to be
considered exciting.
We also observed HD119850 from Green Bank's 140
foot antenna, with Woodbury as a backup. These
observations were made during June, 1997, and January
and March, 1998. Nothing was observed during these
observations either.
Jill Tarter's title is actually Director, SETI
Research. I
believe that her age is incorrect as well.
HD119805 is an M class star, so the fake article is
correct
that it is a small star.
Note that the purported news story does not state the
report as fact, but claims that Gannett News Service
reported the signal. I have been unable to locate an
initial
report from Gannett. I doubt that there is such a
report.
By the way, if the SETI Institute had discovered a
signal,
our bottle of champagne would be consumed. The
unopened bottle is further evidence that the report of
the
signal is a hoax.
When we find a signal, it will be announced as soon as
we
have confirmed it. Judging from past experience with
false
alarms, the press will probably know about the signal
within 24 hours of our discovery, whether or not we have
confirmed the signal. Secrecy is impossible in this
business.
Kevin Dalley SETI Institute [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
I guess you can't believe everything you read. I
apologize
if there was any inconvenience caused by my article.
Next
time I'm checking with SETI before I run this type of
article. Thanks Kevin Dalley at the SETI Institute for
correcting my article.
Regards,
George Filer
SIGHTINGS HOMEPAGE
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