Book 8, Question 114
Why Do SETI Projects Listen for Radio Signals?
SETI projects listen for radio signals because radio waves can cross huge distances in space! SETI stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Scientists listen for patterns that nature alone might not make.
More fun facts
- The first search for signals from aliens was Frank Drake's Project Ozma in 1960.
- SETI stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
- The SETI Institute has been listening for almost 60 years without hearing a signal from our galaxy.
- SETI searches in radio look for signals squeezed into a very narrow band of frequencies.
- A project called Breakthrough Listen uses some of the world's largest radio telescopes.
- Breakthrough Listen scans billions of radio channels at once.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian, NASA, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
Has SETI ever found aliens?
No. After decades of listening, no signal from another civilization has been found yet.