SERENDIP
Encyclopedia
SERENDIP is a Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program originated at the University of California, Berkeley
.
SERENDIP takes advantage of ongoing "mainstream" radio telescope
observations as a "piggy-back
" or "commensal" program. Rather than having its own observation program, SERENDIP analyzes deep space
radio telescope data that it obtains while other astronomer
s are using the telescope.
radio spectrometer
covering 100 kHz of bandwidth. Subsequent instruments have been significantly more capable, with the number of channels doubling roughly every year. These instruments have been deployed at a large number of telescopes including the NRAO 90m telescope at Green Bank and the Arecibo 305m telescope
.
SERENDIP observations have been conducted at frequencies between 400 MHz and 5 GHz
, with most observations near the so-called Cosmic Water Hole
(1.42 GHz (21 cm) neutral hydrogen
and 1.66 GHz hydroxyl
transitions). The SERENDIP project is currently being operated in collaboration with Cornell University
under the direction of Dan Werthimer
.
in June of 2009 and is currently operational. The digital back-end instrument is an FPGA-based 128 million-channel digital spectrometer covering 200 MHz of bandwidth. It takes data commensally with the seven-beam Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA).
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
SERENDIP takes advantage of ongoing "mainstream" radio telescope
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
observations as a "piggy-back
Piggy-back
Piggy-backed is riding on the back of something else. To piggy-back is to ride on someone's back or shoulders or head.-Etymology:...
" or "commensal" program. Rather than having its own observation program, SERENDIP analyzes deep space
Deep Space
- Star Trek :* Battle of Deep Space Nine, the first major battle of the Dominion War* Deep Space Nine , space station in the fictional Star Trek universe* Deep Space Nine relaunch, number of novels released since 2000...
radio telescope data that it obtains while other astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s are using the telescope.
Background
The initial SERENDIP instrument was an 100 channel analogAnalog transmission
Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying voice, data, image, signal or video information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that of a variable...
radio spectrometer
Spectrometer
A spectrometer is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify materials. The variable measured is most often the light's intensity but could also, for instance, be the polarization...
covering 100 kHz of bandwidth. Subsequent instruments have been significantly more capable, with the number of channels doubling roughly every year. These instruments have been deployed at a large number of telescopes including the NRAO 90m telescope at Green Bank and the Arecibo 305m telescope
Arecibo Observatory
The Arecibo Observatory is a radio telescope near the city of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. It is operated by SRI International under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation...
.
SERENDIP observations have been conducted at frequencies between 400 MHz and 5 GHz
GHZ
GHZ or GHz may refer to:# Gigahertz .# Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state — a quantum entanglement of three particles.# Galactic Habitable Zone — the region of a galaxy that is favorable to the formation of life....
, with most observations near the so-called Cosmic Water Hole
Waterhole (radio)
The waterhole, or water hole, refers to an especially quiet band of the electromagnetic spectrum between 1,420 and 1,666 megahertz, corresponding to wavelengths of 21 and 18 centimeters respectively. The term was coined by Bernard Oliver. The strongest hydroxyl radical spectral line radiates at 18...
(1.42 GHz (21 cm) neutral hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
and 1.66 GHz hydroxyl
Hydroxyl
A hydroxyl is a chemical group containing an oxygen atom covalently bonded with a hydrogen atom. In inorganic chemistry, the hydroxyl group is known as the hydroxide ion, and scientists and reference works generally use these different terms though they refer to the same chemical structure in...
transitions). The SERENDIP project is currently being operated in collaboration with Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
under the direction of Dan Werthimer
Dan Werthimer
Dan Werthimer is co-founder and chief scientist of the SETI@home project and directs other UC Berkeley SETI searches at radio, infrared and visible wavelengths, including the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations...
.
Projects
The most recently deployed SERENDIP spectrometer, SERENDIP V.v, was installed at the Arecibo ObservatoryArecibo Observatory
The Arecibo Observatory is a radio telescope near the city of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. It is operated by SRI International under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation...
in June of 2009 and is currently operational. The digital back-end instrument is an FPGA-based 128 million-channel digital spectrometer covering 200 MHz of bandwidth. It takes data commensally with the seven-beam Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA).
See also
- Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network ComputingBerkeley Open Infrastructure for Network ComputingThe Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing is an open source middleware system for volunteer and grid computing. It was originally developed to support the SETI@home project before it became useful as a platform for other distributed applications in areas as diverse as mathematics,...
(BOINC) - List of distributed computing projects
- Radio source SHGb02+14aRadio source SHGb02+14aRadio source SHGb02+14a is a source and a candidate in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence , discovered in March 2003 by SETI@home and announced in New Scientist on September 1, 2004....
- SETISETIThe 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...
- SETI@homeSETI@homeSETI@home is an Internet-based public volunteer computing project employing the BOINC software platform, hosted by the Space Sciences Laboratory, at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States. SETI is an acronym for the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence...
- Wow! signalWow! signalThe Wow! signal was a strong narrowband radio signal detected by Dr. Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977, while working on a SETI project at the Big Ear radio telescope of The Ohio State University then located at Ohio Wesleyan University's Perkins Observatory, Delaware, Ohio. The signal bore...