SearchLites - Vol 19 No 4

Magazine Overview

Title: SearchLites
Issue: Vol. 19 No. 4
Date: Fall 2013
Publisher: The SETI League, Inc.
Type: Quarterly Newsletter

This issue of SearchLites delves into the legacy of prominent figures in the SETI community and explores a specific investigation into a potential extraterrestrial signal.

Allen Tough and the Billingham Connection

The lead article, by H. Paul Shuch, Executive Director Emeritus, discusses the Billingham Cutting-Edge Lecture (BCEL). Established in 2005 by the SETI Permanent Study Group of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the BCEL serves as a forum for groundbreaking ideas in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. The lecture honors Dr. John Billingham, a key figure in SETI for forty years. A number of SETI League volunteers participate in the IAA's SETI Committee, which Shuch co-chairs with Dr. Claudio Maccone. The lecture was initially proposed and endowed by Dr. Allen Tough, a former chairman of the SETI League's Strategic Planning Committee. Following Tough's passing in 2012 and Billingham's in 2013, the BCEL now honors both their memories. Shuch was scheduled to present the 2013 lecture in Beijing.

The project detailed in Shuch's 2013 BCEL forms the core of this special issue. It focuses on Dr. Allen Tough's final SETI research effort and an analysis he was involved in at the time of his death on April 27, 2012. Shuch expresses his indebtedness to Tough for his tutelage and collaboration, and wishes to recognize Tough as a co-author of the work.

Analyzing the Stephens Mystery Signal

This section details H. Paul Shuch's investigation into a signal reported by Robert Stephens, a Canadian SETI researcher. In April 2012, Stephens informed The SETI League of a signal suggestive of extraterrestrial intelligence. Due to Stephens' reputation, Shuch visited his Area 31 Radio Observatory in Ontario Province to verify the signal. The signal, detected using a repurposed satellite dish and a modified receiver, exhibited temporal persistence inconsistent with sidereal motion. Stephens described the signal's waterfall display as revealing glyphs with apparent alphabetic, numeric, and symbolic patterns, even resembling alien faces. Shuch, initially skeptical due to the April 1st reporting date and the appearance of random noise, was intrigued by Stephens' credibility.

Shuch conducted an experiment to isolate the receiver from the antenna. By removing the antenna's front-end preamplifier and substituting a calibrated noise source, he tested whether the signal was entering through the antenna. Stephens confirmed the signal was still visible even when the receiver was isolated from the antenna. This led Shuch to conclude that the observed phenomenon was not a conventional microwave SETI candidate signal.

Shuch discusses the possibility that the observed patterns might be a result of human pattern recognition, comparing it to the 'Face on Mars' phenomenon. He suggests that the patterns might be a Rorschach test, reflecting the observer's hopes and fears rather than external intelligence. Stephens hypothesized that the signal was being beamed directly into his computer through an unknown mechanism. Shuch acknowledges that while he cannot dispute this hypothesis, it cannot be tested. He concludes that the Stephens Mystery Signal remains an inconclusive result from an otherwise well-designed SETI experiment, paraphrasing Sherlock Holmes' deductive method to state that what cannot be tested must remain a mystery.

Event Horizon

This section lists upcoming conferences and meetings relevant to SETI research and radio astronomy, inviting members to check the SETI League's website for details. Events include the Lonestarcon 3 (71st World Science Fiction Convention), the International Astronautical Congress in Beijing and Toronto, Microwave Update 2013, Philcon 2013, and various SETI League annual meetings and ham radio QSO parties.

Extraterrestrial Visitors? No Way!

Authored by Dr. John Boardman, this article challenges the notion of extraterrestrial visitation and contact with Earth. Boardman addresses rumors and claims, including those from former members of Congress, about secret government contacts. He highlights the immense distances in the universe, measured in light-years, making interstellar travel a staggering engineering feat. Citing Einstein's theory of relativity, he asserts that faster-than-light travel is not scientifically possible. Boardman suggests that reports of alien encounters often originate from isolated locations and questions the likelihood of extraterrestrials landing spaceships or engaging in sexual intercourse with humans.

Guest Editorial: Will Extraterrestrials Understand a Message We Send?

Michael Chorost's guest editorial explores the complexities of interstellar communication. He uses the example of the 'Cosmic Call' message, sent from Ukraine in 1999, which consisted of 400,000 bits organized into 22 pages. Chorost questions whether an alien intelligence would understand fundamental human concepts such as sequentially numbered pages, left-to-right reading, and information stored in a two-dimensional format. He discusses the origins of writing, its connection to speech, and the potential universality of sound as a communication modality. Chorost posits that while writing might be a logical extension of sound-based communication, conventions like reading direction are not guaranteed and would need to be explained.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue strongly emphasizes rigorous scientific methodology, independent verification, and skepticism towards unverified claims in SETI research. The articles by H. Paul Shuch and John Boardman highlight the importance of critical analysis and the elimination of testable hypotheses before accepting extraordinary conclusions. The guest editorial by Michael Chorost further underscores the challenges and assumptions inherent in attempting to communicate with potential extraterrestrial intelligences, advocating for a careful consideration of shared understanding. The SETI League, as a membership-supported, non-profit educational and scientific corporation, appears to promote a scientifically grounded approach to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, while acknowledging the profound questions and possibilities involved.