Lynette Cook ~ SETI II

Life is a gift. We find abundant life on our home planet, the Earth, but we have not confirmed any in other parts of our solar system. Therefore we look farther out, toward the distant stars, in hopes of finding life elsewhere in our universe.
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DNA Galaxy

A spiral galaxy metamorphoses into the DNA double helix. Chemical structures and chromosomes are visible near this structure, symbolic of life in space.

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Arecibo Listens

Arecibo, the largest radio telescope in the world, is located in Puerto Rico and was one of two sites used for NASA's HRMS (SETI) project. It is now being used for other research.

Detail

Arecibo Interstellar Message

In 1974 a binary code message was beamed toward the star cluster M13 from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. If any intelligent life form receives the message and answers, we can expect the reply in about 48,000 years.

Seeking Intelligent Life
in the Milky Way

A radio telescope surveys the heavens, listening to sounds from space sent by intelligent beings far away. Any such signals will probably originate from another planet within the Milky Way galaxy. Shown here is a planet with clear signs of a technologically advanced civilization: lights on the dark side of the planet in a uniform pattern unlikely to have been made by natural processes.

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Habitable Moon

One of the "Holy Grails" that astronomers seek is an Earth-like world orbiting a star similar to our sun. This painting depicts just the type of system they dream to find: a Jupiter-like planet with an Earth-like moon having oceans, continents, and a polar cap.

The Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence
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A radio telescope similar to the 70-meter antenna at Goldstone, California points toward the sky, listening for radio waves from space originating from intelligent life. A bright star shines far away in space. Molecules and cells emanate from this star, representing the life on this distant planet.

Alien Landscape

Curious rock formations dominate the landscape of a distant planet. A stream of water meanders across the parched, desert-like ground, sustaining sparse plant life. The planet's two moons are visible in the blue sky. Perhaps such a world exists in another part of our universe.

Legacy

In a future era of space travel and colonization, humankind has settled on the satellite of a Jupiter-like planet. The moon has an atmosphere very much like Earth's and the sunset glows with familiar colors. A city can be seen in the distance. A large radio telescope has been constructed on the floor of a shallow crater so that research in this field might continue.

In honor of the knowledge gained and discoveries made by radio telescopes on the home planet Earth, a design was chosen similar to the 85-foot antenna at Green Bank, West Virginia.

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Desert Sentinel

The 34-meter radio telescope shown here is located at Goldstone, California, and was the second site used for NASA's HRMS (SETI) project. It is currently being used for other astronomical study.

Receiving the Signal

A currently unknown planet, cratered and with a thin atmosphere, is inhabited by a technological civilization. Radio waves come from the surface of the planet, for the life form here has developed radio technology. Light from the inhabited regions appear on the planet's night side. From the planet's gold ring comes a radio signal which travels through the Milky Way to Earth.

Detail In the Milky Way are molecules containing the four basic elements necessary for life as we know it to begin: Hydrogen gas, Ammonia, Water, and Methane. The radio transmission is received by the Arecibo telescope, represented by the platform positioned over the Earth near Puerto Rico. The eyes represent the life form on the unknown planet. Comets, which may play a part in the origin of life, form the eyebrows.

Are we alone in the Universe?
Visit the SETI Institute for a look at current SETI projects.