Watch CBS News

SETI Astronomers Call For Help In Search For Alien Life

MOUNTAIN VIEW (KCBS) - Astronomers searching for intelligent extraterrestrial life have created a new website to encourage the public to help sort through a vast quantity of radio signals detected by telescopes scanning the stars for a sign we are not alone.

The SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute on Wednesday launched a portal at that allows anyone with an Internet connection to download and sift through data picked by the Allen Telescope Array at Hat Creek in Shasta County.

If enough volunteers report spotting the same pattern of data amid the noise generated by all the space craft, terrestrial radio stations and even iPhones, SETI astronomers then follow up to try and identify the source of the signal.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

The telescope array in the Sierra National Forest is now focused on stars in the constellations of Cygnus and Lyra being scanned by the Kepler spacecraft. Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are searching for planets similar to earth in that cluster of stars.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.