Racing to Build a Radio Telescope on the Moon
Remember the “Wow!” signal? That high energy radio signature happened in 1977, when the Earth was much “quieter” in the radio band. If it were to happen today, it probably wouldn’t even move the needle on the background noise of human radio chatter. Signals from satellites, radar, and other human technology have crowded out extraterrestrial radio signals, limiting our ability to monitor the…
The elusive "Wow!" signal, a high energy radio signature detected in 1977, was a rare occurrence amidst the increasing noise of human-generated radio chatter. Today, signals from satellites, radar, and other technological advancements have drowned out any potential extraterrestrial communications, rendering it difficult to observe such signals from Earth.
The ionosphere also poses a challenge by partially obstructing lower frequency radio waves. Consequently, scientists and engineers have long advocated for constructing a radio telescope on the moon's far side, a location shielded from the expanding sphere of human radio interference. A recently published paper by lead author David DeBoer of the University of Oxford and his co-authors details a plan to realize this ambitious goal, emphasizing the urgency of doing so before this last refuge from radio interference is lost forever.
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