Yesterday, a new website associated with the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, rolled out, and the folks there are urging astronomy enthusiasts to check it out. SETI Live (www.setilive.org) allows the public access to data collected by the Allen Telescope Array in Hat Creek, California, for the first time. The site opens the door for anyone to sign up as a user and scan data for potential signals, assisting the search for intelligent life on other planets in the cosmos.
The site grew out of Center for SETI Research Director Jill Tarter’s wish to “empower earthlings to become active participants in the ultimate search for cosmic company.” The launch was announced yesterday at the TED Conference in Long Beach, California, and the site was constructed with the help of the Zooniverse team at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium.
Check it out — now you can really assist in SETI right from your living room, and who knows what you’ll find.