Are aliens running out of places to hide? It turns out we've searched much more of the galaxy than we realized
Astronomers may have already scanned millions of more stars than they thought, a realization that might lead to new ways to hunt for extraterrestrial radio signals.
Recent research conducted by Louisa Mason, a PhD student at the University of Manchester, has revealed that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has likely surveyed more stars than previously believed. By utilizing a specific simulation of the Milky Way known as the Besançon Galactic Model, Mason found that the Green Bank and Parkes radio telescopes had actually examined over 6.1 million stars in their surveys, despite initial estimates suggesting only 288,315 stars were observed.
This discovery, while exciting, should not lead to disappointment as radio telescopes not only listen to a specific target star but also pick up signals from other stars within the field of view, a concept known as commensal SETI. This can lead to the detection of radio signals from faint stars that are not visible to optical and infrared telescopes.
However, the search for extraterrestrial life remains limited in terms of the time spent listening to each star and the radio frequency range covered, making it possible that we may still have missed a signal by observing during broadcasts or at the wrong frequency. Mason has also pushed the boundaries of SETI by expanding the range of radio frequencies that can be searched.
Though she did not find any promising new signals during her ALMA search, she remains optimistic about exploring higher frequencies as this area remains largely unexplored for SETI.
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