   | |  | | ![]() Today is a historic day in the ongoing search for extraterrestrial intelligence. No, SETI has not hit the paydirt just yet (sorry if I raised false hopes), but they now got a brand new tool to help in the search: the Allen Telescope Array.
At the moment, they array consists of 42 small radio antennas, each not larger than six meters in diameter, which when working in synchronisation can collect data the equivalent of a 40 m single-dish antenna. The final array will have a total of 350 dishes when it is completed early in the next decade, but with the 42 now up and running, the project is finally ready to start doing science. It will begin with spending the next several months scanning the stars of the highly populated galactic centre.
It's been a long wait, but I think it will be worth it. SETI will finally be able to not only scan larger portions of the sky in a go, but can also do so twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. With other words: no more competition with other radio astronomy projects. To quote Shostak, one of the best known astronomers within SETI:
 | Seth Shostak said: | | Prepare to be surprised. |
You can also find more information here, at this Space.com article:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/071011-seti-ata-inauguration.html | |  | |  |
|
  | |  | | ![]() This so SO cool.
And I suppose the array will also serve to produce nice beautiful pictures on weird wavelengths. So at least we can be entertained while they work.  | |  | |  |
|
| written by Chad on Oct 12, 2007 05:37 |
 | |  | | ![]() So do I get to meet any aliens?
I love aliens... Well... from outerspace. | |  | |  |
|
| 
