Deep Space Radio Signal Just Reached Earth, But Who Sent It?

In what one industry website calls an “astonishing discovery,” a deep space radio signal has reached Earth after 8 billion years.

Who Sent The Radio Signal?

Earth.com says the “mysterious and powerful burst or radio waves” spent billions of years traveling before reaching Earth. The website believe it is one of the most powerful radio signals ever captured due to its distance and energy.

The signal is described as a “fast radio burst” that is a flash of radio waves. It’s far from the first time this has happened in recent years. It’s just not always easy to pick them up.

“While most happen only once, some ‘repeaters’ send out signals more than once, adding to the intrigue of understanding their origin,” writes the SETI Institute, a California-based nonprofit that studies astrobiology.

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Unfortunately, scientists have been unable to determine the origin of the most recent deep space signal.

Radio Signals Could Be Sign of Alien Life

While the origination of the deep space radio signal remains a mystery, there is still a chance it could indicate the presence of alien life.

Just last year, SETI reportedly received as many as 35 “fast radio busts” from space with the use of its radio telescope.

A report from Earth.com said the signals were spread across two months and were believed to come from a galaxy approximately one billion light years from Earth.

The website pointed toward a 2017 study by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics that suggests “these signals could be indicative of deep-space explorers billions of light-years away from Earth.”

And by “explorers,” they mean aliens. The study went on to say that the theory is worth exploring.

Since then, SETI has continued to its search for signs of alien life. The institute last month announced it has started searching for “alien technology in distant galaxies.”

“This new approach looks at distant galaxies, making it one of the most detailed search for super civilizations–those more advanced than ours,” SETI said in a press release regarding its most recent search for signs of alien technology. “To send a signal from another galaxy, a civilization would need technology powerful enough to use the energy of their sun or several stars in their galaxy.”