For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the stars and wondered if we’re truly alone in the universe. Until recently, the answer to that question has been probably yes. However, this week, the SETI Institute announced a finding that could change our species’s place in the universe forever.
Sources at SETI (whose mission is to seek out evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth) say that a “strong signal” has been detected coming from an area near a star which was previously noted to be emitting radio waves.
The star, HD 164595, is roughly 95 light years away and is located in the Hercules constellation.
What makes the signal so interesting is its power. Even more fascinating? The star actually has a very similar chemical composition to our sun, and the local solar system is home to at least one planet.
The signal was originally detected in May of last year by a group of Russian researchers, whose findings were verified and duplicated by SETI this year.
While we can’t say for sure yet whether the signal is from another intelligent civilization, even the possibility is exciting and welcome news.
(via Mysterious Universe)
Since I read about this yesterday, my mind has been racing with possibilities. This could seriously be something amazing.
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