SETI Institute finds space weather scatters, blurs extraterrestrial radio signals
Technology
SETI Institute scientists have found that wild space weather (like plasma turbulence and star activity) can distort radio signals from other planets, making them much harder to spot.
Many searches look for sharp frequency spikes, but the study shows these signals can get scattered and blurred by things like coronal mass ejections happening closer to their source than we thought.
M-dwarf activity warps narrowband transmissions
M-dwarf stars, which make up most of the stars in the Milky Way, are especially tough for keeping signals clear.
As co-author Grayce C. Brown puts it, "understanding how stellar activity alters narrowband transmissions could help scientists develop search methods that better reflect the signals that actually reach Earth rather than those originally transmitted."