10 Year Old Work Units

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Chook

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Message 1909535 - Posted: 30 Dec 2017, 3:03:31 UTC

Can someone explain to me (in layman's terms) why we are processing work units over 10 years old? Do you think E.T. would send his message for over 10 years? Think of the power it would take. So if we found something in one of these old units it's wholly possible that Mr E.T. would have moved on and we probably wouldn't be able to follow it up. However, if we found something at least we would know there is something out there, but would be frustrating to have missed the rest of his signal.

Just a thought,

Chook
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Message 1909552 - Posted: 30 Dec 2017, 7:21:15 UTC - in response to Message 1909535.  

Reprocessing with the latest applications that do additional types of signal detection.
And don't forget that much of the data we are looking at has been travelling for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Bob Smith
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Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?
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Chook

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Message 1909572 - Posted: 30 Dec 2017, 11:02:14 UTC - in response to Message 1909552.  

Thank you for the reply but my point was not that the signal was hundreds or thousands of years old but would a society keep sending a signal for over ten years? When we go back to look at it would it still be going on? Just like if we are standing on the side of a road looking at a car go past - if we look away and look back the car has passed us, we can't see it any more. Just a thought.

Chook
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Message 1909710 - Posted: 31 Dec 2017, 0:18:10 UTC - in response to Message 1909572.  

Thank you for the reply but my point was not that the signal was hundreds or thousands of years old but would a society keep sending a signal for over ten years? When we go back to look at it would it still be going on? Just like if we are standing on the side of a road looking at a car go past - if we look away and look back the car has passed us, we can't see it any more. Just a thought.

Chook

If it was a beacon, the answer is yes. We keep lighthouses in operation indefinitely.
Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.
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Message boards : SETI@home Science : 10 Year Old Work Units


 
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