SETI Gets to Try Out a New Tool

According to the SETI Institute and UC Berkeley, “In a tree preserve a dozen miles from the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, astronomers today unveiled a prototype telescope that will lead to the development of the world’s most powerful instrument for finding signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.” They’re talking about the “One Hectare Telescope, or 1hT. So named because of its total signal ‘collecting’ area (one hectare is 10,000 square meters or 2.47 acres). The seven-dish prototype is a precursor to what will eventually be an array of hundreds, perhaps thousands of small backyard-type satellite
dishes linked by sophisticated electronics to create an unparalleled SETI observing instrument. The 1hT also will be a premium instrument for
conducting more traditional research in radio astronomy, such as examining the formation of stars.”

° Press release

° SETI, The Square Kilometer Array, and Astrobiology, Jill Tarter, 1st Astrobiology Science Conference

° SETI, SpaceRef Directory

° Going Off Source: Time away with SETI in West Virginia, Keith Cowing, The Astrobiology Web