SETI Researchers Monitor A Star System For Possible Alien Existence Because Of Its Strange Behavior

Alien hunters have been carefully monitoring the KIC 8462852 star system. For more than two weeks, they have been aiming their telescopes on it to find out whether or not extraterrestrials are home.

Astronomers discovered a star approximately 1,500 light years from Earth last month. The star had an unusual dimming pattern, making the researchers think that a dense, irregular matter surrounded the KIC 8462852 and blocked 22 percent of the star’s light at one point. It’s very unusual as even a giant Jupiter planet would only block one percent.

The theory is that the strange readings could come from a cloud of comets. But some researchers theorized that the source of the unusual readings could come from alien megastructures.

So, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute directed its Allen Telescope Array – comprising of forty-two 20-feet-wide antennas – at the star for over two weeks. The researchers were looking for both broadband signals that spacecraft propulsion systems generated and narrow-band signals that might be used by alien civilizations to broadcast their existence.

Unfortunately, the telescope array did not detect any alien civilizations. So, it means that we can stop worrying on an invasion from KIC 8462852, but it doesn’t mean the researchers won’t find anything.

Center for SETI Research director, Seth Shostak, said in a statement that the star’s strange behavior was likely due to nature, but it’s only prudent to ensure that it was not due to aliens.