New Radio Telescope to Search for Extraterrestrial Life

The least understood and explored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum are about to be tapped into to allow for the scanning of incredibly large areas of outer space. These areas will be so large that hundreds of Earth's full moon could fit into them; yet, the images transmitted through them should be detailed and crystal clear. A search for alien worlds that lie beyond the Milky Way galaxy will now be within reach of the new long wavelength radio telescope that should be ushered into the first stages of its use in the deserts of central New Mexico, U.S.A in the summer of 2011.

Space exploration technology is calling on all of its known resources to satisfy the ever present curiosity surrounding the question of whether extraterrestrial life exists. The new long wavelength radio telescope will be used in conjunction with an amazing 13,000 antennas spanning 53 stations and will use a frequency between 20 and 80 megahertz. That signifies the length of waves involved in the project range roughly between 49 and 12 feet.

Interpreting the Outer Space Images Through the New Radio Telescope

What will be seen through this new radio telescope made possible by space exploration technology? Will scientists understand what they are looking at as they contemplate the images transmitted through this amazing invention? Some believe they can do no more than speculate at best. Explosions take place in outer space creating flashes and flares of blinding light. Will the flashes they see be those of explosions on stars or planets? Will they be the images of black holes that are exploding or of distant stars that are dying? Scientists hope that some of the flashes will be communications by radio sent by extraterrestrial life.

Although it might sound comical, some have suggested that flashes viewed through the new radio telescope might even be the explosions of intergalactic wars. Others view the search for extraterrestrial life as a senseless goal of space exploration technology for very good reasons. They point out that if we send out a message asking alien life to respond to us if it is out there, that we would have to wait thousands of years to see if a response will return. Why? Considering belief in the distances between worlds in outer space as calculated by scientists, and travel at the speed of light, there's no need to search for the existence of aliens. If the extraterrestrial life can't respond considerably faster than this speed, their message will never reach the present Earth, which is being rapidly destroyed by Earthlings. Is this why certain religious texts speak of the end of the present world--our world?

Source:

Lance Whitney
New array of telescopes could help search for E.T.
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