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** Live ** The Search for Advanced Extraterrestrial Civilisations

Thu 13 May, 2021
9:58 am
BST

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Anomalies in Astronomical Survey Data

Energy-intensive civilisations are likely to have a significant impact on both their local and extended environments – as already seen here on Earth. Advanced technical civilisations may reveal themselves to other civilisations by introducing anomalous signals into astronomical data. Artificial radio signals are an example but other possibilities include excess infra-red emission due to waste heat losses. I will describe some of the main anomalies or “techno-signatures” that astronomers around the world are currently seeking, with a focus on the recent work being conducted at Manchester and the Breakthrough Listen initiative (BLI). BLI has recently produced its first candidate signal – BLC1 – I will discuss this new development and the future role long-baseline interferometry can play in follow-up observations and future surveys. I will also talk about the need for astronomers to open up our minds to new possibilities and concede that there is a lot about the Universe we do not understand. As the universe continues to evolve for billions of years to come, we speculate on whether other, non-biological forms of intelligence and consciousness, may be out there awaiting discovery.
 
Image Credit: NASA Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/image/0710/allenarray_seti.jpg

Professor Michael Garrett, Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, and Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics

7.30pm
Visitors £5, BRLSI Members and Students £2