They’re not saying it’s aliens, but signal traced to sunlike star sparks SETI interest

SETI researchers are buzzing about a strong spike in radio signals that
seemed to come from the direction of a sunlike star in the constellation
Hercules, known as HD 164595. … The signal conceivably fits the profile for an intentional
transmission from an extraterrestrial source – but it could also be a
case of earthly radio interference, or a microlensing event in which the
star’s gravitational field focused stray signals coming from much
farther away.In any case, the blip is interesting enough to merit discussion by
those who specialize in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or
SETI – including Centauri Dreams’ Paul Gilster, who brought the case into the public eye this weekend.At least two SETI research groups are aiming to track HD 164595 tonight. The SETI Institute is using the Allen Telescope Array in northern California, while METI International is looking to the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory in Panama.