In May of this year, radio astronomers at the Arecibo radio dish detected a "weird" signal from the star Ross 128 that lies at a distance of 11 light years. The signal appeared to be quasi- periodic, which can give the impression of an organised signal, rather than a naturally occuring random one.
However, Abel Mendez, the research team-leader said," In case you are wondering, the aliens hypothesis is at the bottom of many other better explanations."
There are a range of radio signals that could be mistaken for a broadcast signal. Radio pulsars, discovered in the 1960s, are one possible candidate. These are rapidly rotating neutron stars that produce a regular "blip". The signal from Ross 128 arrived as quasi-periodic radio pulses and across a wide range of frequencies.
The Arecibo observations made on May 12 were in the 4-5 GHz range and lasted for 10 minutes. There are natural processes that can mimic a supposed signal from extraterrestrials. Solar flares, for example, emanating from red dwarfs could produce misleading radio signals.
The Ross 128 signals were, however, different from signals detected from other stars.
There is a possibility that the mystery signal was from an artificial satellite, although such a signal has never been detected before.
The Aricebo team is planning to make further observations of Ross 128. ET buffs, hold your breath, you never know what they might decipher
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