# Whoa! SETI might have found something... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 20, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710 "2003-01-20T00:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/1 "2003-01-20T00:36:37Z")
[http://www.ufomag.co.uk/euroseti.htm](http://www.ufomag.co.uk/euroseti.htm) > [@](#): > > For the past two years, hundreds of extraordinary UFO-like images have been gleaned by a Spanish-based team using two space-based satellites and which defy explanation. > > NASA initially tried to explain the images away as pixel faults, passing meteors or asteroids, etc., but when a European-led consortium presented them with images that clearly were none of the aforementioned, they ‘clamped up’. Well, it certainly would be cool, but then again, they’re waiting to unveil the ‘evidence’ at some convention they’re promoting. That in itself makes me pretty skeptical. Wouldn’t they want people to know right away? What do you guys think? ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/2 "2003-01-20T00:47:28Z")
BOOOOOOOOOOGUUUUUUUUUS! But we’ll see. 😉 Has SETI always been in the business of UFOs? I thought they were concerned with stuff like radio signals. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/3 "2003-01-20T00:50:04Z")
Well, their main purpose seems to be listening but I guess they watch too. Makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/4 "2003-01-20T00:56:14Z")
Be really neat, if it’s true. I don’t think I’ll be running out and buying any Purina ET chow just yet. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/5 "2003-01-20T01:08:21Z")
I think I’ll wait until something a bit more mainstream then “UFO Magazine” breaks the story. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/6 "2003-01-20T01:39:59Z")
They don’t defy explanation. In fact, they are trivially easy to explain… if you understand how astronomical imaging works. Clearly, those UFO folks don’t. I just put a page up about htis on my website: [Planet X and SOHO Imaging](http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/planetx/soho.html). ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/7 "2003-01-20T01:54:31Z")
What further proof of aliens do we need than the presence of Rael? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/8 "2003-01-20T02:14:03Z")
Oh crap! L. Ron Hubbard is back! Look busy! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/9 "2003-01-20T03:58:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*Oh crap! L. Ron Hubbard is back! Look busy! > > 😃 \*\* Elron is back? Ready the missile batteries! _He’ll never land alive._ :: evil :: ---
**Author:** ![Niggle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Niggle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niggle)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/10 "2003-01-20T04:33:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*BOOOOOOOOOOGUUUUUUUUUS! But we’ll see. 😉 Has SETI always been in the business of UFOs? I thought they were concerned with stuff like radio signals. \*\* Well - SETI stands for “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence”. They use radio telescopes to find (or try to find) signals that match those of intelligent life. [SETI’s home.](http://www.seti.org/) Or are you just pulling my leg? -n ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/11 "2003-01-20T05:35:10Z")
Um, I don’t think I’m pulling your leg. But UFO stands for “Unidentified Flying Object”. That’s not the same thing as what SETI is looking for with radio observations. Right? They’re looking for signals sent out by aliens from other stars, not photographs of aliens on earth. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/12 "2003-01-20T10:56:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*Elron is back? Ready the missile batteries! > > _He’ll never land alive._ > > :: evil :: \*\* So, will this include a couple 1000 year old harriers as well… ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/13 "2003-01-20T11:19:54Z")
All reports I’ve read online (including from the guy on the team that built the sattelite) say it’s nothing more than oversaturation on the CCD image sensor and is a common occurence and well documented. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/14 "2003-01-20T13:26:20Z")
Why do people still think that aliens would travel in a “flying saucer?” Isn’t this an unlikely form for a spaceship? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/15 "2003-01-20T20:37:05Z")
I prefer the Starship Enterprise theory. Make it the shape that works for the parts inside of it, since it’s NOT designed ever to enter an atmosphere. Always glad to bring Star Trek into a rigorously scientific discussion… Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-seti-might-have-found-something/149710/16 "2003-01-20T21:11:10Z")
The following quotation has been edited for clarity: > [@](#): > > For the past two years, hundreds of [photographic artifacts] have been gleaned by a Spanish-based team using two space-based satellites and which [confuse the incompetent]. > > NASA initially [pointed out that the images were] pixel faults, passing meteors or asteroids, etc., but when a European-led consortium presented them with [yet more examples of their unlimited ignorance of digital astronomical photography], they [decided to quit wasting their time trying to explain things to a bunch of loonies].