Something strange is happening to the nearest sun star. A mysterious radio signal comes from Proxima Centauri, which is too faint to be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Despite being too weak to be seen from Earth, it is a cosmic stone thrown only 4.2 light-years away. From the star emanates a mysterious signal, which was discovered in the archived data collected last year.
The signal was discovered this fall and appears to be coming from the Proxima Centauri direction. So far, researchers have failed to dismiss the signal as an interference from Earth. While detecting a strange signal coming from a nearby star certainly has tempting possibilities, the scientists in the project warn, there is still much to be done.
Researcher Andrew Siemion of the University of California, Berkeley, said the signal has properties that have led it to undergo many checks so far and cannot be explained. One of the most curious aspects of the signal is that it occupies an extremely narrow radio spectrum of 982 megahertz. This is a spectral range that is usually empty of any transmission from satellites and man-made spacecraft.
The researcher says that there is no known natural way to compress electromagnetic energy into a single frequency band. Siemion says there may be some unknown exotic works of plasma physics that could explain the signal. However, he acknowledges that, for now, the only known source for such a signal is technology.
The signal was detected by a project known as Breakthrough Listen, led by Siemion and supported by technology billionaire Yuri Milner. The goal of the project is to gain time on radio telescopes around the world, especially to look for evidence of technological civilizations in the vastness of the universe.