Breakthrough Listen
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Breakthrough Listen is a ten-year $100 million initiative by physicist Stephen Hawking and Russian tycoon Yuri Milner to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life in the Universe.[1][2][3] It has been described as the most comprehensive search for alien communications to date.[2] It is part of Milner's Breakthrough Initiatives.
Announced in July 2015, the project will use thousands of hours every year on two major radiotelescopes, the Green Bank Observatory in West-Virginia and the Parkes Observatory in Australia.[4] Previously, only about 24 to 36 hours of telescope per year was used in the search for alien life.[2] Furthermore, the Automated Planet Finder of Lick observatory will search for optical signals coming from laser transmissions. For processing of the massive data, the experience of SETI and SETI@home will be used.[4] SETI-founder Frank Drake is one of the project's scientists.[1][2]
Breakthrough Listen was announced to the public on July 20, 2015, by Milner at at London's Royal Society. The announcement included an open letter co-signed by multiple scientists, including Hawking, expressing support for an intensified search for alien life. During the public launch, Hawking said: "In an infinite Universe, there must be other life. There is no bigger question. It is time to commit to finding the answer."[2][5]
See also
- Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence
- Nexus for Exoplanet System Science
- Ohio State University Radio Observatory (The Big Ear)
- SETI@home
- Open data, Open-source software
References
- ^ a b Feltman, Rachel (July 20, 2015). "Stephen Hawking announces $100 million hunt for alien life". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Merali, Zeeya (20 July 2015). "Search for extraterrestrial intelligence gets a $100-million boost. Russian billionaire Yuri Milner announces most comprehensive hunt for alien life". Nature News. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ RUNDLE, MICHAEL (20 July 2015). "$100m Breakthrough Listen is 'largest ever' search for alien civilisations". Wired. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ a b Sample, Ian (20 July 2015). "Anybody out there? $100m radio wave project to scan far regions for alien life". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ Vella, Matt (21 July 2015). "Read the Inspiring 'Questions of Existence' Letter from the World's Greatest Thinkers". TIME. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
External Links
- Breakthrough Listen, Breakthrough Initiatives website
- Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking announce $100 million Breakthrough Initiative to dramatically accelerate search for intelligent life in the Universe, Breakthrough Initiatives, London, July 20, 2015
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