# Strong Signal, Possibly From Proxima Centauri, Detected at Parkes Observatory **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2020, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710 "2020-12-23T06:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/41 "2020-12-25T19:32:57Z")
Uh, dude, we actually are in a mass extinction at the moment and have been since humans spread out of Africa and started eating all the mega-fauna in sight. Also, powerful storms and historic floods in some places. And while I haven’t heard of water turning to blood a lake in India did turn pink this year: > **[Pretty in pink: India crater lake changes colour overnight](https://phys.org/news/2020-06-pretty-pink-india-crater-lake.html)** > > A crater lake in India's western Maharashtra state has turned pink overnight, delighting nature enthusiasts and surprising experts who attributed it to changing salinity levels and the presence of algae in the water. In other words, a lot more of that bingo card should be covered. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/42 "2020-12-26T00:04:46Z")
After the US assassinated that Iranian general by drone strike in January, plenty of people were talking (not always entirely seriously) about it setting off WWIII. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/43 "2020-12-26T11:57:41Z")
There’s a more technically inclined article at Scientific American, at [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alien-hunters-discover-mysterious-signal-from-proxima-centauri/](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alien-hunters-discover-mysterious-signal-from-proxima-centauri/). Among other things, the article states the signal is actually at 982.002 MHz, so it’s not sitting on an even number of human-invented megahertz. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/44 "2020-12-26T12:20:05Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The signal was present for four hours, during which the scope did a standard test for determining if a signal was coming from space or the ground - the telescope was moved slightly off-axis from the target and back again I just read it was discovered this August in archival data from last year, so how did they know to perform the shifting manoeuvre if they didn’t realize they’d discovered something at the time? ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/45 "2020-12-26T14:27:43Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Among other things, the article states the signal is actually at 982.002 MHz, so it’s not sitting on an even number of human-invented megahertz. Would a man made radio signal be any more precise? ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/46 "2020-12-26T14:41:20Z")
That’s an excellent question, which I’m now very curious about, if anyone knows the answer. If a measurement of a received signal at 982.002 MHz is within the margin of error for a signal that’s intended to be broadcast at exactly 982 MHz, that actually seems like a pretty good indicator that it’s actually an unidentified signal of human origin. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/47 "2020-12-26T15:10:09Z")
It depends on how precise the human-made transmitters are. For a sufficiently-precise transmitter, that .002 would rule it out. On the other hand, for sufficiently-inprecise transmitters, the fact that it’s so close to an integer number of megahertz becomes uninteresting. My guess is that it’s just an artifact of over-active human pattern matching. At the most charitable, that’s a coincidence on the order of 1 in 100. We encounter a lot more than a hundred numbers every day, so we’re sure to find a few coincidences like that. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/48 "2020-12-26T15:48:56Z")
The only things mentioned so far that use that frequency is small airport distance measuring beacon. Would those generally be that precise? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/49 "2020-12-27T02:55:12Z")
Are we to assume aliens also measure intervals in seconds? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2020, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/50 "2020-12-27T03:31:11Z")
Of course not. That’s why I listed the proximity to an even integer frequency as a strike _against_ it being aliens. > [@FigNorton](#): > > The only things mentioned so far that use that frequency is small airport distance measuring beacon. Would those generally be that precise? Nope. DME bandwidth is about 300 khz. Further, it’s a pulsed digital signal. This signal is an unmodulated tone, like a carrier signal. My best guess is that it’s a malfunctioning radio. It could be splattering harmonics, or have a malfunctioning IF stage or something. I hope they are looking at frequencies that have a harmonic relationshipnwith this one, or frquencies that would result if a transmitter stage failed. ---
**Author:** ![cannon\_gray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannon_gray/32/6030_2.png) [@cannon\_gray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannon_gray)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/51 "2021-01-11T09:57:15Z")
The signal can be considered as an accident or a mistake, if not for one circumstance. The signaling frequency of 980 MHz is a radio wave band that normally lacks signals from spacecraft and satellites. That is, interference or confusion is not particularly likely. Astronomers quite often catch regularly repeating radio signals from space, but in most cases, their source is catastrophic events, for example, the collapse of a neutron star into a black hole. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/52 "2021-01-16T02:26:33Z")
I’ve heard the arguments that Proxima b probably isn’t habitable because it orbits too close to an active star and it’s tidally locked in its orbit. But it’s curious that the signal is a narrow band EM signal. And it red-shifted. Is there any new information coming out of U of PA? When will they publish their results? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/53 "2021-01-16T06:35:15Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > … And it red-shifted … No, look at the article: it blue-shifted. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/54 "2021-01-16T18:22:11Z")
The wcientists involved say a paper is coming in ‘early 2021’. That would generally mean some time in the first quarter. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/55 "2021-01-16T21:21:56Z")
My bad on the red-shifted. Do we know enough about proxima b to determine if the blue-shift in the signal is consistent with it’s orbit? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/56 "2021-01-16T21:35:00Z")
b has an orbital period of about 12 days, so we probably cannot determine what its vector was at the time. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/57 "2021-01-16T21:47:06Z")
Do you think we know enough about b’s orbit to rule out that the signal’s blue-shift was caused by b’s orbit? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/58 "2021-01-17T17:09:16Z")
There’s a lot that we can’t determine about an exoplanet’s orbit, at least without some rare fortuitous circumstances, but the redshift we should observe from that planet at any given moment in time is something that we can determine very well. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2021, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/59 "2021-01-18T03:42:52Z")
I thought this was an interesting quote from the article: “The transmission was apparently monotone, meaning it was not modulated in a manner that conveys more complex information.” Haven’t these folks read Carl Sagan’s book Contact? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710/60 "2021-01-19T15:01:29Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > “The transmission was apparently monotone, meaning it was not modulated in a manner that conveys more complex information.” > Haven’t these folks read Carl Sagan’s book Contact? Yes. It was also monotonous. _Heyoooooo!_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-signal-possibly-from-proxima-centauri-detected-at-parkes-observatory/928710.md?page=4)