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Attendees at the September 2012 IAA Searching for Life Signatures conference in San Marino entered the small republic from Italy, through this unguarded border crossing. The openness of travel throughout a unified Europe is symbolic of the openness and cooperation within the international SETI community. SETI League photo

29 December 2012

SETI League executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch lecturing on SETI science and technology in September, at the IAA Searching for Life Signatures conference in San Marino. Francesco Brigante photo

22 December 2012

Among the respectable turnout at the September 2012 IAA Searching for Life Signatures conference in San Marino were half a dozen SETI League members. Two of them can be identified by their t-shirts. Francesco Brigante photo

15 December 2012

Geologist Lori Walton displays rocks from just before (light colored sample) and just after (dark colored sample) the meteor impact that changed Earth's global climate some 65 million years ago. These samples were collected during a recent visit by SETI scientists to the discovery site in Italy. Coincidentally, the ring she is wearing in this picture contains a meteorite fragment. SETI League photo

8 December 2012

At the K-T boundary discovery site in Italy (see last week's featured photo), member Claudio Maccone lectures to a group of 18 other SETI scientists about the geological evidence for the meteor impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. SETI League photo

1 December 2012

In Central Italy last month, SETI League regional coordinator Stephane Dumas studies the geological evidence that first supported the currently accepted theory for the extinction of the dinosaurs (and most other life on Earth). The abrupt change in coloration of the striations at the K-T boundary is compelling proof of a massive meteor impact some 65 million years ago. SETI League photo

24 November 2012

SETI League member Dr. Claudio Maccone (seen here lecturing in September, at the IAA Searching for Life Signatures conference in San Marino) was recently elected Chair of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Permanent Committee. See this Press Release for details. SETI League photo

17 November 2012

Last month it Italy, six SETI League members held an impromptu meeting in front of the Small Radio Telescope at the Medicina radio astronomy facility. Seen here (left to right) are Lori Walton, Stephane Dumas, H. Paul Shuch, Claudio Maccone, Greg Matloff, and Stelio Montebugnoli. SETI League photo

10 November 2012

The once proud dish at Project Argus station FN11lh lies against the ground, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy's recent assault on the Northeastern US. N6TX photo

3 November 2012

Three weeks ago at the International Astronautical Congress in Naples, Italy, 24 enthusiasts gathered at a local restaurant for the annual no-host SETI dinner. Stephane Dumas photo

27 October 2012

Earlier this month at the International Astronautical Congress in Naples, Italy, SETI League executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch delivered the opening lecture at the SETI Science and Technology session. Stephane Dumas photo

20 October 2012

At the Giordano Bruno Monument in Rome two weeks ago, executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch presents the 2012 Bruno Memorial Award to physicist Dr. Gerry Harp, for extraordinary technical contributions to SETI science. See this Press Release for further details. Stephane Dumas photo

13 October 2012

The SETI League is pleased to bestow its highest honor, the Giordano Bruno Memorial Award, on physicist Dr. Gerry Harp, who serves as Director of SETI Research at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Harp is seen here in the Mt. Lassen National Forest, not far from the Allen Telescope Array, with former Bruno Award recipient Dr. Jill Tarter. Details appear in this Press Release. SETI Institute photo

6 October 2012

The tiny Republic of San Marino is the birthplace in 2005 of the San Marino Scale, an analytical tool for quantifying the impact of transmissions from Earth. Members of the worldwide SETI community gathered there last week, for the Fourth IAA Symposium on Searching for Life Signatures. SETI League image

29 September 2012

A new book by SETI League member Dr. Claudio Maccone tackles the more advanced mathematical concepts of SETI science. Mathematical SETI includes a full mathematical derivation of the Statistical Drake Equation and describe its many applications. In this book, Maccone demonstrates high level mathematical techniques for the solution of a variety of SETI problems, describes how use of the Karhunen-Loeve Transform leading to a dramatic improvement in SETI signal processing, and discusses important topics of current SETI research relating to exoplanet searches and civilizations within the Galaxy. Springer Verlag image

22 September 2012

Bylaws of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Committee limit its Chair to a maximum of two five-year terms. Seth Shostak (on the right in this 2010 photo, with other Committee members) is now completing his tenth year in that position. Next month in Naples, Italy, IAA SETI Committee members will be electing a new Chair. Tune in later for an announcement of the Committee's new leadership. Claudio Maccone photo

15 September 2012

This statue of Giordano Bruno, the Italian monk burned at the stake for postulating a multitude of inhabited worlds, stands at Campo di' Fiori in Rome, on the spot of Bruno's execution 412 years ago. Several members of the SETI League, along with other SETI scientists, will be gathered at the statue in three weeks, for an announcement of this year's recipient of the Giordano Bruno Memorial Award. Watch this space! David Olivier photo

8 September 2012

In Italy last week, the Moon Walker's Jazz Band gave a concert dedicated to the memory of Neil Armstrong, who recently departed from Earth for the last time. Adriano Autino photo

1 September 2012

In this archival photo from 1971, H. Paul Shuch (now The SETI League's executive director emeritus) makes AM contacts in the 23 cm amateur radio band from his California rooftop, during an ARRL VHF contest. The vacuum tube transceiver, one of Shuch's earliest microwave circuit designs, is a very heavily modified APX-6 radar transponder. N6TX photo

25 August 2012

Another view of the losing battle against entropy at Project Argus station FN11LH. In addition to the feedhorn misalignment discussed last week, deformations caused by hail are visible in the mesh reflector surface. N6TX photo

18 August 2012

Maintaining a Project Argus radio telescope is a constant (and losing) battle against entropy. The feedhorn arm assembly at station FN11LH was damaged by recent winds, resulting in significant feed misalignment and aiming difficulty. N6TX photo

11 August 2012

A new observatory is taking shape at Dev Sanskriti University in northern India. This SuperSID antenna (contributed by the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers) has been installed on the roof of the Aryabhatt Library (named for a famous 6th Century Indian astronomer). Behind it can be seen the base of a 3 meter diameter dome. Future plans include SETI observations. DD Purohit photo

4 August 2012

Members of the Bald Eagle amateur radio club gathered last week at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA, to hear our executive director give one of his famous Dr. SETI presentations. N6TX photo

28 July 2012

At CERN, physicists have recently detected a massive (125 MeV) particle consistent with the long-sought Higgs Boson. Domenico Vicinanza has converted the raw data set into musical notes. This analysis technique is reminiscent of the way our own Peter Cheasley has been depicting his received SETI data for years. Domenico Vicinanza image

21 July 2012

Larry Spector, W2QOV, with the Schweitzer glider he currently flies. Larry is indirectly responsible for The SETI League's very existence. Three decades ago, he introduced two of his ham radio buddies to each other. Richard Factor, WA2IKL, went on to found The SETI League, and H. Paul Shuch, N6TX, became its founding Executive Director. Both Factor and Shuch are also pilots (and Shuch recently earned his glider rating, with Spector's encouragement). W2QOV photo

14 July 2012

SETI League president Richard Factor unpacks a Big Ear Memorial Plaque, in preparation for attachment of a piece of reflective mesh salvaged from the demolished Ohio State University SETI antenna (see last week's featured photo). SETI League photo

7 July 2012

At the SETI League office, secretary/treasurer Heather Wood unpacks mesh salvaged from the demolished Ohio State University "Big Ear" radio telescope. The mesh is used to fabricate Big Ear Memorial Plaques, which The SETI League makes available to its supporters for a suitable contribution. SETI League photo

30 June 2012

Many Project Argus participants use software that performs a Fast Fourier Transform on the audio output of their receivers, presenting the result as a waterfall display. Longtime Argonaut Peter Cheasley goes one step further. He uses a music program called Widi to simultaneously convert the audio components in the waterfall to a musical score, displaying them as notes on a staff. This unconventional display allows those trained in music to perform comparative analysis of the audio components being received, hopefully highlighting non-natural phenomena for further analysis. VE2TPR image

23 June 2012

On June 5 2012, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft collected images of the rarest predictable solar event--the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. This event lasted approximately 6 hours and happens in pairs eight years apart, which are separated from each other by 105 or 121 years. The last transit was in 2004 and the next will not happen until 2117. NASA image

16 June 2012

Larry Spector, W2QOV, is the 2012 recipient of the annual Orville Greene Service Award for outstanding contributions to The SETI League, Inc. The presentation was made in San Jose, CA last week by executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch. See this Press Release for further details. Libby Spector photo

9 June 2012

Canadian SETI experimenter Rob Stephens sends along another decades-old photo, this one of him with legendary radio astronomy professor John Kraus, W8JK, father of the great Ohio State University "Big Ear" radio telescope. Rob Stephens photo

2 June 2012

Robert Stephens of Ontario, Canada, sends along this historic photo of his first hydrogen line radio telescope, built roughly thirty years ago in Edmonton, Alberta. Rob Stephens photo

26 May 2012

From the Gurudev Observatory in Vadodara, India, Divyadarshan D.Purohit sends along this photo of the 26 February 2012 conjunction of the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus. The image was taken with a hand-held Sony Handycam, illustrating that elaborate equipment is not required to image our planetary neighbors. DD Purohit photo

19 May 2012

Amateur radio astronomer Bob Gray has probably devoted more of his lifetime to the study of the Ohio State University "Wow!" signal than any other individual. His book "The Elusive Wow," reviewed here, chronicles his quest, which led him from his backyard radio telescope to Harvard, to Tasmania, and to the Very Large Array. Palmer Square Press image

12 May 2012

The SETI League is deeply saddened to report the death last week of longtime member and SETI innovator Prof. Allen Tough (seen in this May, 2006 photo with his wife, Cathy Rand, during his induction into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in Dallas, TX). Our executive director emeritus' tribute to Allen appears here. Ralph Brockett photo

5 May 2012

This view from the Edge of Space was taken at an altitude of 70,000 feet, aboard a U2 aircraft. The curvature of the Earth, the blackness of space, and the thin sliver of Earth's protective atmosphere all help to calibrate our place in the cosmos. WIMP.com image

28 April 2012

At the November 2011 meeting of our sister organization AMSAT, Dave Taylor, W8ASS, reported on his educational activities in conjunction with ARISS, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. N6TX photo

21 April 2012

SETI League member Hans van de Gronendaal, ZS6AKV, is in charge of frequency coordination of ham radio satellites for the International Amateur Radio Union. He reported on this activity at the 2011 AMSAT Space Symposium in San Jose, CA last November. N6TX photo

14 April 2012

Jan King, VK4GEY, traveled from Australia to California in November 2011, to relate at the AMSAT Space Symposium the history of Australis Oscar 5, the world's first university satellite project. Dozens of such student science experiments now orbit the Earth. N6TX photo

7 April 2012

His back to the camera, Bob Davis, KF4KSS, taught a full lecture hall at the 2011 AMSAT Space Symposium how to use Excel spreadsheets to analyze magnetic tumble of satellite orbital elements. N6TX photo

31 March 2012

At the 2011 meeting of our sister society AMSAT, member Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, reported on the status of an ongoing South African amateur satellite project. N6TX photo

24 March 2012

Amateur satellite pioneers Lance Ginner, K6GSJ, and Jan King, VK4GEY, were reunited last November at the AMSAT Space Symposium in San Jose CA. Jan had to travel halfway around the world to get there. Lance's local commute was more modest. N6TX photo

17 March 2012

SETI League member Nick Pugh, K5QXJ, has long been involved in introducing middle school students to space, through communications satellites, stratosphere balloon launches, and radio astronomy. His presentation at the 2011 AMSAT Space Symposium was titled "How to Light a Candle." N6TX photo

10 March 2012

OSCAR 1, the world's first non-Government communications satellite, was built by Lance Ginner, K6GSJ, and orbited successfully in 1961. Lance actually build three working models of OSCAR 1. One was launched, another resides in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and this one was restored to operational condition by the American Radio Relay League. Lance posed with his creation at the AMSAT meeting in California last November. N6TX photo

3 March 2012

Steven Bible, N7HPR, conducted an operational survey of ARISSat-1 users last year. He presented his research results at the AMSAT Space Symposium in November. N6TX photo

25 February 2012

At the November 2011 Space Symposium sponsored by our sister organization AMSAT, SETI League member Lou McFadin, W5DID, reported on the success of the SuitSat-1 and ARISSat-1 ham radio satellite missions. N6TX photo

18 February 2012

Last November, executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch met in California with member Connie Woods, KG6YT, widow of Malcolm Raff, WA2UNP, to present her with Mal's posthumous Orville Greene Service Award. SETI League photo

11 February 2012

When astronomer Marcus Chown brought out his innovative Solar System for iPad eBook over a year ago, SETI League executive director emeritus H. Paul Shuch told him, "this is almost enough to make me want to go out and buy an iPad." Just one month after Shuch finally did go out and buy an iPad, Chown's book came out in hardcover! See it reviewed here. Timing is everything... Black Dog & Leventhal image

4 February 2012

Argonaut Peter Cheasley, VE2TPR, sends along this 3.5 GHz detection from 25 October 2011. The diagonal lines in the spectrogram are a signal which is highly Doppler shifted, hence emanating from beyond Earth. The short horizontal signal segment highlighted with the arrow is stable in frequency, hence obviously terrestrial interference. It is not often that a Project Argus station can capture a candidate extraterrestrial signal, and a terrestrial one, in the same image. This picture illustrates most eloquently how easily the wetware between your ears can distinguish between the two. VE2TPR image

28 January 2012

Randall Munroe, creator of XKCD, which he describes as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language", has occasionally embraced SETI themes. Here (posted by his kind permission) is Randall's take on the Fermi Paradox. Click on the thumbnail. Randall Munroe image

21 January 2012

Jean-Michel Contant, Secretary General of the International Academy of Astronautics, presides over Academy Day on 2 October, 2011, immediately preceding the International Astronautics Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. N6TX photo

14 January 2012

On 4 October 2011, Executive Director Emeritus H. Paul Shuch kicks off the International Academy of Astronautics 40th Symposium on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in Cape Town, South Africa, with his annual "Introduction to SETI Science and Technology." ZS6AKV photo

7 January 2012

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