Astronomers investigating whether radio beam from neighboring star is proof of alien life – Washington Examiner

Scientists looking for proof of extraterrestrial life are investigating a radio wave emission coming from the nearest star to our solar system.

The beam was found from the direction of the star Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star 4.2 light years from Earth. It was noticed during a 30-hour telescope observation in Australia last year, according to a report by the Guardian.

Astronomers with the $100 million Breakthrough Listen project have spotted strange blasts of radio waves before, most of which have been attributed to human-made interference or natural sources.

The latest signal is also likely to have a natural explanation, but scientists are preparing a paper on the beam to support Breakthrough Listen, which is searching for evidence of life in space.

The beam from Proxima hasn't been detected since the first observation, but one individual in the astronomy community said the findings are very promising.

"It is the first serious candidate since the Wow! signal' the person, who spoke under anonymity, said, referring to the unusual 1977 discovery of a signal that some claimed was made by aliens.

In 40 years, there's been no consensus on what might have caused the signal, according to EarthSky.

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Astronomers investigating whether radio beam from neighboring star is proof of alien life - Washington Examiner