Earth's Largest Telescope Soon to Scan Cosmos for Extraterrestrial Signals

 

          

 

The image above shows the supermassive black hole in the core of a distant galaxy known as Cygnus A spews jets of gas into space over distances of more than 200,000 light-years. The jets (orange) were imaged by the new International Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) Telescope in Europe. The picture shows how the jets slam into the hot gas surrounding the galaxy (blue, imaged by NASA's Chandra x-ray space telescope). 

Last year, scientists in the Netherlands unveiled the largest radiotelescope in the world, saying it was capable of detecting faint signals from almost as far back as the Big Bang  as well as hunting for the first stars and galaxies and potentially signals of extraterrestrial intelligence. 

The LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) consists of 20,000 small antennas measuring between 50 centimetres and two metres across spread out across the rest of the Netherlands and also in Germany, Sweden, France and Britain, said Femke Boekhorst of the Netherlands Radioastronomy Institute.  

The array consist of banks of antennas in 48 stations hooked up by fiber optic cables. Signals from these stations will be combined using a supercomputer, transforming the array into "perhaps the most complex and versatile radio telescope ever attempted," said Heino Falcke, chairman of the board for the International LOFAR Telescope.

"The observations that we will be able to make will allow us to learn more about the origin of the universe, back to the moment right after the Big Bang," Boekhorst told AFP.  The data gathered by the telescope will be dealt with by a supercomputer at the university of Groningen and then transmitted to the institute.

Currently 16,000 of LOFAR's antennas and 41 of its stations are operational. The array will be completed by the middle of this year. When completed, LOFAR will have a resolution equivalent to a telescope 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) in diameter. 

Since LOFAR is so large, it can scan large parts of the heavens — its first all-sky survey, which started Jan. 9, can sweep across "the entire northern sky twice in just 45 days," said George Heald of ASTRON.
LOFAR is also very fast, capable of measuring events only five-billionths of a second long.

The array is designed to monitor low-frequency radio waves, a largely unexplored part of radiation from the sky. One critical source of these radio emissions are extremely feeble signals from the cold hydrogen gas that dominated the cosmos during the so-called dark ages of the universe. As stars eventually came into being, they would have left scars on this hydrogen, and by analyzing how the radio signals from this gas changed over time, scientists can therefore learn much about how the first galaxies came to be. 

"This is a pivotal phase in the early evolution of the universe, stretching from 400 million to 800 million years after the Big Bang," said Ger de Bruyn of ASTRON. "We'd like to know when exactly it happened, how it happened, how fast it happened."

LOFAR will also scan for artificial radio emissions as part of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Past SETI missions focused on higher frequency radio waves, but perhaps alien civilizations preferred lower frequencies.

"Low-frequency radio waves are also emitted around intensely powerful cosmic objects such as black holes, and investigating these could help scientists better understand the inner workings of these ferocious systems. For instance, when it comes to pulsars — the highly magnetized and rapidly rotating neutron stars that can form after supernovas — LOFAR can monitor radio emissions from within about 60 miles (100 kilometers) of the pulsar's surface, said Jason Hessels of ASTRON.

LOFAR will open its capabilities to astronomers internationally starting in May. 

The Daily Galaxy via lofar.org,  AFP and space.com

Image credit: (c) J. McKean and M. Wise, ASTRON

Comments

[radii]

let's not and say we did

... let's not send a big welcome signal to an alien race that might want to make war upon us, steal our resources, or colonize our world, etc.

... and if alien races know about us already, we're too far away or too unsophisticated to bother with or they would have long since made formal contact

it's like telling your teenage son or daughter about sex - no need to rush into it

[Singaporistu]

what special resources we have on earth that they can't find in the cosmos? there's everything we have spread in the universe much easier to collect, if they can travel through galaxy, they won't need anything from us just need to park near a cooler supernova remains and filter out the elements

[Greg]

As far as I know radio telescopes are for listening.. not transmitting.. listening to signals from space is not going to alert anyone of our presence.

[Joel N]

People who say aliens are no threat to Earth should all be forced to watch "The Blob". That'll teach 'em.

[Paul]

I wouldn't worry about anyone invading us,by the time most of the supposed listeners got the signal we would have been long gone from the planet. The only extra terrestials we have to worry about are here on earth already,China and India have the most terrestials that could be considered extra ones. I just call it overpopulation.

[GD2]

@singaporistu your question : what special resources we have on earth that they can't find in the cosmos?

answer: all of our life forms on earth. The most special resources for us on our earth are the ones we eat.

[Brucethink]

People who say aliens are no threat to Earth should all be forced to watch "The Blob". That'll teach 'em.
OR Watch the Republican Presidential debate's(that will scare em)

[Tosca Z]

Oh for heaven's sake! Anyone worried about threats from extraterrestrials hasn't been paying attention to what's been happening on earth. WE are our worst and most unpredictable enemies. If I were part of an advance civilization out there somewhere, I wouldn't announce myself to earth unless the human species was heavily medicated. I don't think they'll be standing up waving and hoping to be spotted by our super telescope. But they could be observing, biding their time until we have become less dangerous to all forms of life.

[Singaporistu]

@GD2: Totally agree with you, the variety of species evolved on earth over 4bilion years and especially the human brain is a rare commodity in the universe, and any advanced civilization might want to add our animals and plants as specimens in their research labs or perhaps in the zoo, but they don't need to kill all of us to do that, they only need few specimens of each species, and that the can easily collect without anyone even noticing, who is to say that they haven't done that yet already ?

[legal steroids]

The array is designed to monitor low-frequency radio waves, a largely unexplored part of radiation from the sky. One critical source of these radio emissions are extremely feeble signals from the cold hydrogen gas that dominated the cosmos during the so-called dark ages of the universe.

[d. dahbu]

Thank you for contacting us. We'll return your email very soon!
Dear Friends
Is it possible for you to image large, dark matter locations, to determine their masses to see if they are growing?
In addition, the areas between, three or more black holes, looking for a faint radiation, that would be decaying
and transforming dark energy, into dark matter?
Lastly, could you look for small, possibly migrating, dark matter clumps, moving toward, larger masses.
This could lead to one of the greatest scientific discoveries in history and YOU, would be the first or one of the
first, to make history. Einstein has already, done and verified the math, of my theory. Full details on
www.darkmatterenergysolvedihope.com Thank you so very much

Dear Friends
After the first agency or group of astronomers agree, to become involved in this project, I will release
that fact to the news media. Even then, you are NOT COMMITTED TO CARRY OUT ANY SEARCHES. You
can change your mind at any time. The news release, itself, will encourage others to, join in. Even if this theory
turns out to be, a dead end, this is how science works, as you very well know. Remember, that DARK ENERGY
comprises the MAJORITY OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE, about which, no one, on this planet, yet has a clue,
UNTIL NOW. Your early involvement means ONLY GOOD STUFF, for you and your agency. There are NO worries
or concerns here. Again thank you so very much.

d. dahbu