Finding extraterrestrial life may be easier with the new device

A new instrument integrated into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest radio telescope will help Brealthrough Listen scientists detect the technological signatures of extraterrestrial intelligence. The MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa is an important tool for researchers in the research program to look for evidence of life beyond Earth, as it includes key pieces for this type of tracking.

There are currently three other telescopes engaged in the task: the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and the Automated Planet Finder, in the USA, and the Parkes Telescope, in Australia. The trio work by scanning the sky for messages that could be sent by extraterrestrial intelligence. Now, the new computer cluster on the MeerKAT telescope will give a huge boost to searches.

According to an announcement made by the team last Thursday (1), observations have already begun. The cluster uses computer processing to get a new perspective on what has already been captured by the radio telescope itself.

According to researcher Dr. Andrew Siemion, principal investigator of Breakthrough Listen, MeerKAT can see an area of ​​the sky 50 times larger than GBT. “Such a large field of view typically contains a lot of stars that are interesting technological targets.” Fortunately, the cluster has high sensitivity and high resolution, so the entire survey process can be done without affecting the research of other astronomers.

Proxima Centauri: star studied by the radio telescope

Among the targets MeerKAT can study around the clock is the closest star to our Solar System, Proxima Centauri, which astronomers say has the ability to be orbited by potentially habitable rocky planets the size of Earth.

Breakthrough Initiatives Executive Director Dr. S. Pete Worden said, “The team looks forward to sharing the first scientific findings in the coming months.” Now we just have to wait for the news and progress made in the search for signs of extraterrestrial life.

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Source: Olhar Digital