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James Van Prooyen, N8PQK, observed the NASA Stardust spacecraft's re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere on 15 January 2006. This observation was done with a Radio Astronomy Supplies 40 kHz VLF receiver in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jim writes, "I have observed several other such event on VLF, such as space shuttle launches." N8PQK image

29 December 2007

Last week, we celebrated the 90th birthday of SETI League advisory board member Arthur C. Clarke. Through the magic of his webcam, Sir Arthur has now posted his birthday reflections to YouTube. TVE Asia Pacific image

22 December 2007

The SETI League is pleased to wish a joyous 90th birthday this week to Arthur C. Clarke, who generously serves on our Advisory Board. A noted author and pioneering communications engineer, Sir Arthur is the father of satellite communications. In this recent photo from his home in Sri Lanka, he is wearing a shirt proudly displaying the message, "I invented the satellite and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." AC Clarke photo

15 December 2007

Just in time for your holiday shopping: Two new audio CDs are now available from the SETI Store. Sing a Song of SETI contains twelve of Dr. SETI's most popular SETI songs. Demented! consists of twelve popular Dr. SETI science and technology filk songs. Each CD is available for a suggested contribution of $15 US (postpaid to US addresses), or $17 US (postpaid elsewhere). SETI League photos

8 December 2007

This overview of the Arecibo radar telescope in Puerto Rico shows the stationary spherical reflector, the movable feed assembly, the cables that support it, and the catwalk used by technicians to access it. SETI League photo

1 December 2007

SETI League executive director emeritus Prof. H. Paul Shuch checked out the surface of the 305 metre diameter Arecibo radio telescope last July, during a break from technical sessions at the BioAstronomy 2007 conference. SETI League photo

24 November 2007

Seen admiring the control room at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is Guillermo Lemarchand, who heads up the Southern SERENDIP SETI project in Argentina. Guillermo visited the facility last July in conjunction with the BioAstronomy 2007 conference. SETI League photo

17 November 2007

Last summer Prof. Robert Brown, director of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, conducted a tour of the world's largest radio telescope for participants in the BioAstronomy 2007 conference (which included many SETI League members). SETI League photo

10 November 2007

The control room of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerty Rico includes an Icom IC R-7000 receiver, a favorite of many SETI League members and in use at dozens of Project Argus stations around the world. This one at the world's largest radio telescope, however, is used not for searching for ETI, but rather for conducting radio frequency interference (RFI) testing. SETI League photo

3 November 2007

Last week marked the Grand Opening of the Galaxy Garden, a creation of prominent space artist Jon Lomberg. Earth's first walk-through model of the Milky Way Galaxy, mapped accurately in plants and flowers, is seen here being planted a few months ago. The garden is now grown and available for viewing in Honaunau, Hawaii. Jon Lomberg photo

27 October 2007

Noted artist Jon Lomberg is working on a new space-related project, in which flowers play a significant role. Watch this space next week for more details. Jon Lomberg photo

20 Occtober 2007

During the BioAstronomy 2007 conference in Puerto Rico in July, regional coordinator Lori Walton had an opportunity to visit the Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest radio telescope. More photos of that facility appear here. SETI League photo

13 October 2007

This week, several SETI League members are in Moscow, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Space Age. 2007 is actually a triple Jubilee year in Russia, marking the 150th birthday of Konstatin Tsiolkovskii, the 100th birthday of Sergey Korolev, and the 50th anniversary of the 4 October, 1957 launch of Sputnik 1. All three are pictured on this block of commemorative Russian postage stamps. RU postal image

6 October 2007

Last week at the International Astronautical Congress in Hyderabad, India, executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch was elevated to Full Member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Making the presentation was IAA president Ed Stone, former director of JPL and now a professor at CalTech. SETI League photo

29 September 2007

Two emeriti: SETI League executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch met last week with Pune University professor emeritus Govind Swarup, India's "father of radio astronomy," at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) in Pune, India. Here they pose before a model of one of the 30 dishes of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), where one day they hope to conduct SETI observations. SETI League photo

22 September 2007

James Van Prooyen, N8PQK, has been working on a new family of portable dish stands for Project Argus antennas. He explains, "the dish stand (or mobile mount) is 4 by 5 feet and 7 feet in height. It has 6 wheels and can carry 600 pounds (for counter weight). It is designed to take dishes up to 16 feet in diameter. I am working on a tow handle so that you can pull it like a wagon, or hitch it up to a garden tractor to move it. The jack screws are a new addition. They make setting the dish less of a problem. You may think of it as the world's best lawn ornament." N8PQK photo

15 September 2007

David Ocame, WS1ETI, shares this calibration sweep of the sun with the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) receiver. He writes, "by parking the 8 ft dish just above the Sun's position, I let the Sun come up until it was centered, and then let it keep going. It took 1.5 weeks to do this. The day with the highest deflection on continuum trace was calibrated using data from the Learmonth Observatory. Learmonth reports in solar flux units (SFU). 1sfu=10000Jy. Compared to my best trace from last year using the good old Icom r7000, with a BW= ~3500Hz and adjusting for variation in the Sun's output I've determined that using the USRP with a BW of 4MHz gives me ~384% increase over the narrower bandwidth." WS1ETI image

8 September 2007

Mike Bach, WB6FFC, paid a recent visit to the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-Wave Astronomy (CARMA), a 15-dish radio astronomy array east of the Sierra Nevada, at a site called Cedar Flat in the Inyo Mountains near Bishop, CA. Mike reports, "Some of the mm wave dishes from Hat Creek and some of the dishes from Owens Valley have ended up here on the mesa top, doing observations for Hydrogen and Oxygen radiation from deep space." WB6FFC photo

1 September 2007

This picture of CP4, one of California Polytechnic University's educational CubeSats, was taken by AeroCube-2 on April 17, 2007 after launching on a Russian Dnepr rocket. AeroCube-2 is a picosatellite built by The Aerospace Corporation. It was released from the rocket in a P-POD (Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer) built by Cal Poly, along with CP4 and CSTB-1, a satellite built by The Boeing Company. The camera is a 640x480 pixel resolution camera suite. Since many university CubeSats transmit their downlink data in the amateur radio bands, SETI League members are encouraged to report reception of their signals, earning credit toward our ETCC Award. Aerospace Corp. photo

25 August 2007

German astronomer Yasmin Walter, who has contributed her spectacular lunar eclipse photos to The SETI League website, passes along a different view of the Moon, this one taken while on skiing holiday to Mont Blanc. The picture was chosen as Photo of the Day by SpaceWeather.com. Yasmin Walter photo

18 August 2007

Executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch also serves as Director of Education for AMSAT, a SETI League affiliated society. Last January, he was one of a dozen volunteers helping our sister organization to move in to its new Satellite Integration Facility at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). The blur in this slow-shutter exposure reveals the level of frenetic activity. AMSAT photo

11 August 2007

At last week's Central States VHF Conference in Texas, executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch accepts a generous contribution from VHF Society treasurer Bruce Richardson (left). The club is a SETI League affiliate society, and longtime SETI League supporter. SETI League photo

4 August 2007

In With The New: These eight 55-element loop yagis from Directive Systems have been installed at The SETI League's 1296 MHz Moonbounce Beacon, replacing the old dual-quad helix array seen last week. The additional antenna gain should make the calibration beacon detectable by a typical Project Argus radio telescope. WA2IKL photo

28 July 2007

Out With The Old: The two quad-helix arrays long used in The SETI League's 1296 MHz Moonbounce Beacon have been removed from service to make way for a new antenna system. Check back next week to see the replacement antennas. WA2IKL photo

21 July 2007

The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers, a SETI League affiliate, held its annual technical meeting two weeks ago at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank WV, with many SETI League members in attendance. This year's SARA Conference coincided with NRAO's 50th anniversary celebration. SARA photo

14 July 2007

The Proceedings of the 2007 Conference of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers is now available for purchase through the SETI Store. Compiled and edited by SETI League executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch, this Proceedings contains technical papers by a number of SETI League members. See the Proceedings Table of Contents. SARA image

7 July 2007

Last year, executive diector emeritus H. Paul Shuch conducted a short course on microwave transmission lines at the Heidelberg University of Applied Sciences. While there, he forged a student exchange agreement between that institution and Lycoming College, where Paul spent the past year as Visiting Professor of Physics and Astronomy. ERAC photo

30 June 2007

Particle physicist Anatoly Gafarov (seen here with the muLAN detector - a double plastic ball for precise muon-lifetime measurements) has proposed a novel active SETI experiment, which he calls the Alien Attention Attraction Strategy (AAAS). His idea is to generate an electromagnetic wave specifically designed to elecit a response from our cosmic companions. Though the proposal is unconventional, it should remembered that all of SETI was considered fringe science just a generation ago. Anatoly writes, "It's a very good idea to try to catch some of their signals, but 50 years of looking should be enough time to have already received many of those signals. This says clearly, it is time to try something else in addition." Anatoly Gafarov photo

23 June 2007

SETI League members are reminded that the 2007 Annual Meeting and Technical Conference of our sister organization, the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA), is coming up in just two weeks, at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank WV. Extensive SETI League participation is anticipated. Conference details may be found on the SARA website. SARA image

16 June 2007

Also in attendance at the recent Satellite Pioneer's Reunion (see the Photo of the Week for 26 May 2007) was inventor Kenneth Schaffer, N2KS. Kenny was responsible for the first successful wireless guitar amplifier, pioneered the reception of Russian satellite TV in the US, and now provides hardware for high-quality TV signal distribution through the internet, with his TV2Me server design. N6TX photo

9 June 2007

Science fiction author Rob Sawyer took time off from his recent book tour to visit the Very Small Array in central Pennsylvania. Rob is traveling around the US and Canada promoting Rollback, his most recent SETI-themed novel. In it, he says of his protagonist, fictional SETI scientist Sara Halifax: " SETI ... was like Hollywood, with its stars. In Tinsel Town, having to use last names marked you as an outsider, and the same was true in Sara's circles, where Frank was Frank Drake, Paul was Paul Shuch, Seth was Seth Shostak ... and Jill was Jill Tarter." N6TX photo

2 June 2007

Members H. Paul Shuch and Muriel Hykes attended last month's Satellite Pioneer's Reunion in Atlanta, GA. Years prior to his SETI involvement, Paul developed the first commercial Home Satellite TV receiver, his claim to fame and fortune. "But fame is fleeting," he points out, "and the fortune is all spent." Most of his earnings from the Satellite TV days went into his airplane, hangar, and private airport -- which explains the inscriptions on Paul's and Muriel's t-shirts. N6TX photo

26 May 2007

At one of his public lectures in Europe six months ago, a gesticulating H. Paul Shuch indicates where we are most likely to discover ETI. ERAC photo

19 May 2007

Following the SETI League's annual meeting two weeks ago, the Trustees and Officers met for their annual Board Meeting. Seen here (left to right) are Executive Director Emeritus H. Paul Shuch, Trustee Marty Schreiber, Trustee Marc Arnold, President Richard Factor, and Secretary/Treasurer A. Heather Wood. All SETI League officers were elected to serve an additional one-year term on a volunteer basis. Minutes of the Annual Meeting and Board Meeting appear here. Pat Santoro photo

12 May 2007

At last week's SETI League annual meeting, executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch (center) presented the Orville N. Greene Service Award to David Ocame (left), and the Giordano Bruno Memorial Award to Bob Melville (right), for their significant contributions to SETI science. Further details appear in this Press Release. Pat Santoro photo

5 May 2007

One highlight of all SETI League meetings (such as this one in Germany last year) is the opportunity for socializing with like-minded SETIzens in a relaxed atmosphere. Next week's 2007 Annual Meeting will be no exception. We hope you'll be able to join us at our Headquarters building in Little Ferry, NJ, this Sunday afternoon, the 29th of April, at 1 PM. Further details appear here. ERAC photo

28 April 2007

In their capacity as members of the SETI Permanent Study Group of the International Academy of Astronautics, several SETI League members have continued to work on perfecting the proposed San Marino Scale. This analytical tool is used for quantifying the significance of transmissions from Earth. Seen here is the proposal's most recent Four Quadrant Briefing Chart (QuadChart), in standard NASA format. IAA image

21 April 2007

At the formal dinner which concluded last year's Fourth European Radio Astronomy Congress in Germany, European Radio Astronomy Club president Peter Wright (himself a Scotsman) hired this piper in full regalia to entertain attendees. It appeared to those present that the greatest challenges facing bagpipers are the same two with which SETI researchers must deal: generating enough power, and finding the right frequency. ERAC photo

14 April 2007

From Bakersfield (California) College, Nick Strobel of the Physical Science Department passes along this photo of an 8-foot mesh TVRO dish and mount, for which he is seeking a new home. The dish, which is suitable for Project Argus use, is being offered free of charge to anybody willing to remove it from its present location, and use it for radio astronomy education. More details appear on Nick's website, at http://www.astronomynotes.com/satelliteTV/. The dish must be dismantled and removed prior to 1 May, so please contact Nick promptly, via that website, if your are interested. Nick Strobel photo

7 April 2007

At last year's Fourth European Radio Astronomy Congress in Germany, European Radio Astronomy Club president Peter Wright, DJ0BI (in kilt) presented the coveted FFT-DSP Award to Marko Cebokli, S57UUU (left), SETI League regional coordinator for Slovenia, for his pioneering work in digital interferometry. ERAC photo

31 March 2007

Last Autumn, while attending the Fourth European Radio Astronomy Congress in Germany, executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch met with Prof. Dr. Wolfram Hahn, Rector of the Heidelberg University of Applied Sciences, to forge a student exchange agreement between that institution and Lycoming College, where Paul is Visiting Professor of Physics and Astronomy. ERAC photo

24 March 2007

Over the past year, independent Berlin filmmaker Christian Schildowski (at right, holding the camera) has been shooting a SETI documentary. He has now filmed our Executive Director Emeritus in Germany, Spain, and the US. Behind Christian, holding the boom mike, is his sound engineer, Hanna. At left, SETI League regional coordinator Peter Wright assists with the computer. Shooting continues next week at our own Very Small Array. We're anxious to see how much of this footage ends up in the final edit! ERAC photo

17 March 2007

Last week's total lunar eclipse was quite beautiful as viewed from Heppenheim Germany's Starkenburg Observatory (to which several SETI League members belong). Click on this thumbnail to see a high-resolution photomontage of the event, assembled by Yasmin Walter. Starkenburg Sternwarte photos

10 March 2007

1415 MHz lunar transit in a total power radiometer, as observed by Dave Ocame, N1YVV. Dave writes, "I arrived home to the happy coincidence of the moon sliding through the beam of my dish. It's maybe not the smoothest trace and there is a 'drop out' that occurs just after the signal reached it fullest. These drop outs have been plaguing me for a while now and I believe them to be de-sensing caused by local airport radar. An unfortunate consequence of using such a wide bandwidth." N1YVV image

3 March 2007

The classic Project Argus station built in Port Orchard WA USA by Rollo, N7JQ, uses a steerable 10 foot TVRO antenna with SETI League feedhorn design, wideband GaAs FET low noise amplifier, and Icom 8500 receiver. This is the tried and true design from The SETI League Technical Manual, which any member can readily duplicate. N7JQ photo

24 February 2007

Marcus, VE3MDL, sends along this solar transit plot. He writes, "It looks pretty, but it's about 8 minutes late due to RA alignment errors. Also, I was doing this to measure 'Y' factor, and I think that I'm "missing" about 2.5-3dB. I measured about 8.8dB 'Y' factor during the Sun transit. That may partially be due to alignment error--perhaps 0.5dB, but also, moving the bandpass filter in between the 1st and 2nd LNAs will have caused the Tsys to jump from about 80K to around 160K or so." VE3MDL image

17 February 2007

Greg, K6QPV, has acquired this 3-meter diameter parabolic reflector, and is trying to figure out how to illuminate it. With a focal length to diameter (F/D) ratio of 0.25, the dish is so shallow that its rim and focal point are in the same plane. Thus, the feed must have an extremely wide beamwidth to "see" the entire dish's surface. This precludes the traditional waveguide feedhorn with choke ring that most of us use, and suggests that a short helix or dipole with splash plate may be more appropriate. "Trash cans are for water ballast so dish won't blow over in high winds" explains Greg. K6QPV photo

10 February 2007

Marcus Leech passes along this total-power meridian transit of Sagittarius A. Marcus writes, "There's lumpiness due both to receiving system instability, and the fact that the galactic background radiation is not uniformly distributed in intensity. Around 16:20 or so, there's some interference from the Sun, since it transited only 2 beam-widths above where I was pointing. The quasi-discrete source at the galactic center is driven by a postulated black hole. The physics are complicated, but part of the emission is thermal, due to heating of the surrounding gas and dust by gamma and x-rays coming out of the event horizon around the black hole as matter falls into it." VE3MDL image

3 February 2007

Last October at the International Astronautical Congress in Valencia, Spain, executive director H. Paul Shuch (left) had a chance to meet Argonaut Iban Cardona. Cardona has been quite successful in receiving S-band and X-band signals from a variety of NASA and ESA interplanetary space probes. EB3FRN photo

27 January 2007

From 29 August to 3 September 2006, Claudio Maccone and his team used the 32 meter Medicina Radio Telescope near Bologna, Italy, to monitor S, X, and Ka band signals from the SMART-1 probe, as it orbited and ultimately impacted the lunar surface. Left to right: Luca Zoni, Stelio Montebugnoli (Director of the Radiotelescopes at Medicina), Fabio De Sicot, Luca Derosa, Salvo Pluchino (co-investigator), Simona Righini and Claudio Maccone (Principal Investigator). Details about this experiment to detect the effects of the Moon's tenuous atmosphere may be seen at http://medgate.med.ira.cnr.it/smart1/index_eng.html C. Maccone photo

20 January 2007

The antenna farm at the hamshack of Shanni and David Prutchi (see last week's featured image) includes a 1.2 meter dish on an az/el mount. It is soon to grow into a larger diameter Project ARGUS antenna. HC1DT photo

13 January 2007

The hamshack of SETI League student member Shanni Prutchi and her dad David (HC1DT) is now used for satellite communications, has recently claimed its first Extra-Terrestrial QSL Card, and is slowly evolving into a complete Project ARGUS station. HC1DT photo

6 January 2007

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