SETI@home

What is SETI@home ?

SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected
computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You
can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes
radio telescope data.

The Science of SETI@home

SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is a scientific
area whose goal is to detect intelligent life outside Earth. One
approach, known as radio SETI, uses radio telescopes to listen
for narrow-bandwidth radio signals from space. Such signals are not
known to occur naturally, so a detection would provide evidence of
extraterrestrial technology.

Radio telescope signals consist primarily of noise (from celestial
sources and the receiver's electronics) and man-made signals such as TV
stations, radar, and satellites. Modern radio SETI projects analyze the
data digitally. More computing power enables searches to cover greater
frequency ranges with more sensitivity. Radio SETI, therefore, has an
insatiable appetite for computing power.

Previous radio SETI projects have used special-purpose
supercomputers, located at the telescope, to do the bulk of the data
analysis. In 1995, David Gedye proposed doing radio SETI using a
virtual supercomputer composed of large numbers of Internet-connected
computers, and he organized the SETI@home project to explore this idea.
SETI@home was originally launched in May 1999.

If you are interested in participating Click Here.