Chinese Astronomers Search for Extraterrestrial Signals in TRAPPIST-1 System

The TRAPPIST-1 system is about 40 light-years away from us, and it's a hotbed of alien hunting for waterworld super-Earths. The exoplanets are the size of Earth and Neptune combined, with a thin atmosphere and a deep ocean. Jam-packed with seven Earth-sized planets where temperatures are good for life, this system is one of the absolute closest we've ever come to finding another clement clique in a very cool cosmos. This research is a significant advancement in the search for other civilisations in the universe.

China's FAST Telescope Pushes Limits in Search for Alien Signals in TRAPPIST-1

According to an analysis of the research, it worked by using the enormous Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) from Dezhou University. Experts can and do use FAST to find very precise, slow-drifting radio signals in the L-band, a frequency range thought not possible for natural sources. And the sophistication allowed them to find artificial signals much weaker than previous searches.

Twelve 1.67-hr observations targeted the star system for signals of extraterrestrial origin. The telescope design is sensitive to weak signals, and it is designed for a search for mindless broadcasts. But no sign of alien technology was detected.

Able to Prospect for Alien Transmitters (Probably)! The discovery that there are no alien transmitters in a target star system is not a failure; it is the demonstration of the power of modern Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence techniques.

Researchers will step up the hunt for signals from TRAPPIST-1 – even if it could be decades until we rule in life – with new tools like FAST that help us to find out more about our place in the universe.