Project Ozma
Encyclopedia
Project Ozma was a pioneering SETI
experiment started in 1960 by Cornell University astronomer Frank Drake
, at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
at Green Bank, West Virginia. The object of the experiment was to search for signs of life in distant solar systems through interstellar radio waves. The program was named after Princess Ozma
, ruler of the fictional land of Oz
, inspired by L. Frank Baum
's supposed communication with Oz by radio to learn of the events in the books taking place after The Emerald City of Oz
. The search was publicized in articles in the popular media of the time, such as Time Magazine.
Drake used a radio telescope with a diameter of 85 feet (26 metres) to examine the stars Tau Ceti
and Epsilon Eridani
near the 1.420 gigahertz marker frequency. Both are nearby Sun-like stars that then seemed reasonably likely to have inhabited planets. A 400 kilohertz band was scanned around the marker frequency, using a single-channel receiver with a bandwidth of 100 hertz. The information was stored on tape for off-line analysis. Some 150 hours of intermittent observation during a four-month period detected no recognizable signals. A false signal was detected on April 8, 1960, but it was determined to have originated from a high-flying aircraft.
The receiver was tuned to wavelengths near 21 cm, which is the wavelength of radiation emitted naturally by interstellar hydrogen; it was thought that this would be familiar, as a kind of universal standard, to anyone attempting interstellar radio communication.
A second experiment, called Ozma II, was conducted at the same observatory by Benjamin Zuckerman
and Patrick Palmer, who intermittently monitored more than 650 nearby stars for about four years (1973–76).
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
experiment started in 1960 by Cornell University astronomer Frank Drake
Frank Drake
Frank Donald Drake PhD is an American astronomer and astrophysicist. He is most notable as one of the pioneers in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, including the founding of SETI, mounting the first observational attempts at detecting extraterrestrial communications in 1961 in Project...
, at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center of the United States National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc for the purpose of radio astronomy...
at Green Bank, West Virginia. The object of the experiment was to search for signs of life in distant solar systems through interstellar radio waves. The program was named after Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by L. Frank Baum. She appears in every book of the series except the first, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .She is the rightful ruler of Oz, and L...
, ruler of the fictional land of Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
, inspired by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's supposed communication with Oz by radio to learn of the events in the books taking place after The Emerald City of Oz
The Emerald City of Oz
The Emerald City of Oz is the sixth of L. Frank Baum's fourteen Land of Oz books. It was also adapted into a Canadian animated film in 1987. Originally published on July 20, 1910, it is the story of Dorothy Gale and her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em coming to live in Oz permanently...
. The search was publicized in articles in the popular media of the time, such as Time Magazine.
Drake used a radio telescope with a diameter of 85 feet (26 metres) to examine the stars Tau Ceti
Tau Ceti
Tau Ceti is a star in the constellation Cetus that is spectrally similar to the Sun, although it has only about 78% of the Sun's mass. At a distance of just under 12 light-years from the Solar System, it is a relatively close star. Tau Ceti is metal-deficient and so is thought to be less likely to...
and Epsilon Eridani
Epsilon Eridani
Epsilon Eridani is a star in the southern constellation Eridanus, along a declination 9.46° south of the celestial equator. This allows the star to be viewed from most of the Earth's surface. At a distance of 10.5 light years , it has an apparent magnitude of 3.73...
near the 1.420 gigahertz marker frequency. Both are nearby Sun-like stars that then seemed reasonably likely to have inhabited planets. A 400 kilohertz band was scanned around the marker frequency, using a single-channel receiver with a bandwidth of 100 hertz. The information was stored on tape for off-line analysis. Some 150 hours of intermittent observation during a four-month period detected no recognizable signals. A false signal was detected on April 8, 1960, but it was determined to have originated from a high-flying aircraft.
The receiver was tuned to wavelengths near 21 cm, which is the wavelength of radiation emitted naturally by interstellar hydrogen; it was thought that this would be familiar, as a kind of universal standard, to anyone attempting interstellar radio communication.
A second experiment, called Ozma II, was conducted at the same observatory by Benjamin Zuckerman
Benjamin Zuckerman
Benjamin Michael Zuckerman is an astrophysicist and a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at UCLA. His recent work focus primarily on formation and evolution of planetary systems around various types of stars.- Education :...
and Patrick Palmer, who intermittently monitored more than 650 nearby stars for about four years (1973–76).