I watched a bunch of science documentaries yesterday.
Most are nonsense but one thing was talked about I can't get my head around.

During a SETI video they referenced the 1977 WOW! signal then talked about a multitude of SETI @ Home false positives.

I went to the SETI website and looked at the scientist listings http://www.seti.org/our-scientists and randomly copied email addresses of a few randomly selected scientists.

Janice Bishop
Senior Research Scientist, Chair of the Astrobiology group
Disciplines: Spectroscopy, Mineralogy, Chemistry, Planetary Sciences, Remote Sensing
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Chemistry, 1994, Brown University
****@seti.org

Jeffrey Coughlin
Director of the K2 Science Office
Disciplines: Astrophysics
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Astronomy, 2012, New Mexico State University
****@nasa.gov

Matija Cuk
Research Scientist
Disciplines: Solar System Dynamics
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Astronomy, 2005, Cornell University
****@seti.org

Michael Evans
Research Scientist
Disciplines: Solar System Dynamics
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Astronomy, 2000, Queen Mary, University of London
****@seti.org

Richard Freedman
Research Scientist
Disciplines: Astrophysics
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Astronomy, 1974, University of California, Berkeley
****@seti.org

Steven Lord
Senior Research Scientist
Disciplines: Extragalactic Far Infrared Spectroscopy
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Astronomy, 1987, University of Massachusetts
****@seti.org

Robert Morris
Data scientist
Disciplines: Signal Processing, Data Science
****@seti.org

Alexander Pollak
Science & Engineering Operations Manager, Allen Telescope Array
Disciplines: SETI, Radio Astronomy Instrumentation
Degree/Major: D.Phil, Astrophysics, 2018, University of Oxford
****@seti.org

Jill Tarter
Chair Emeritus for SETI Research
Disciplines: SETI
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Astronomy, 1975, University of California Berkeley
****@seti.org

Matthew Tiscareno
Senior Research Scientist
Disciplines: Solar System Dynamics, Planetary Rings
Degree/Major: Ph.D., Planetary Science, 2004, University of Arizona
****@seti.org

Margaret Turnbull
Research Scientist
Disciplines: SETI
****@gmail.com

Stephen Cramer
Research Scientist
Disciplines: SETI
****@seti.org

I am working on a paper listing considerations and will email them when ready.
I've done this before with NASA and received responses on the subject of planetary staging. According to my daughter, who didn't know I emailed NASA told me I got a call while at work from someone claiming to be from NASA but she hung up thinking it was a crank call. She didn't get the name or number.
She lost it (freaked out) when I showed her the emails.
So, who knows?

SETI: The WOW! Signal & Other False Positives
This is the paper's working title (might change).

The email will have a paragraph dedicated to pumping their egos.
Scientists have huge egos.
Supporting the ego will cause them to read instead of dismissing.
I will also introduce myself but minimalism it so they think they are teaching someone who yearns for knowledge and understanding which will further inflate their egos.

The email will also have a summary of the paper in the form of bullet points.
I will not include the paper as an attachment but I will be sure to indicate that I can send them a copy if they want to read it.
My intent is not fame or recognition. My intent is to inspire them to think about something they may not have considered.

To me, a successful result will be SETI establishing contact.
I'm sure a bunch of scientists have more understanding than a disabled truck mechanic but ya never know, sometimes an epiphany is inspired by simple logic.

Following is a summary based on my thoughts inspired by the videos and my current understanding of SETI, The 1977 WOW! signal and the dynamics of the Universe.

* The Universe is not static, it is dynamic. Everything, everywhere is always in motion.

* Signal width, strength and duration

* Receiver width, sensitivity and time on target

* Occlusions

* Target/Receiver motion

* Signal saturation

* Unknown local movement at target/receiver

* False positive signal drop-off at source/destination

* Why the WOW! signal is lost

A short example:

Imagine a static Universe. You and I are at a football stadium each standing at the opposing goal lines. We each have a laser pointer and a detector on our foreheads which only register direct laser hits.
We point the laser at each other and the detector registers a direct hit as long as the laser is firing. This represents a 100% signal.

Next, same conditions but now each of us is on a turntable spinning slowly.
The turntable represents the rotation of our planets. They are turning at different speeds. Each of us has tracking devices which can lock onto the target but each has only a limited range of movement and we can't turn ourselves while on the turntable because our feet are fastened.
Signal detection is limited to the arc of contact based on the direction of the turntable's orientation to the target and the arc of tracking during that alignment.

Next we add two larger turntables on which the planet turntables are positioned. The larger turntable represents the planet/star orbits.
Each orbit is unique in distance and speed of rotation.
We are still fixed to the smallest turntable, still using the same tracking devices. Our detectors have not changed. Signal detection is limited to an even greater degree.

Next we add to the scenario an unknown number of blindfolded elephants roaming the field between us. The elephants represent possible occlusions to the signal.

The lasers are constantly on, the detectors are constantly monitoring.
Resultant detection is fragmented.
The detector registers a positive signal but it mysteriously drops off.
If only the turntable positioning is affecting detection, we can time when detection will occur but when the elephants are introduced, no prediction of signal is possible.

But that is the easy part...
The hard part involves distance and movement.

Let's say we want to send a signal to Proxima Centauri (4.3ly).
We launch a transmitter to space and establish a solarcentric orbit to the Sun. The Sun and our transmitter move as one.

We find Proxima Centauri and fire a one hour signal at it.
In the space between the transmitter and Proxy the signal has a leading and a trailing edge. Like a dry spaghetti noodle flying thru space.
It misses Proxima Centauri and continues thru space till it hits a planet of a different star. It will always miss Proxima Centauri.

This is because the light we detect which locates Proxima Centauri is where it was 4.3 years ago. Additionally, when we transmit it takes 4.3 years for the noodle to get to where we thought Proxima Centauri was. So by the time we see Proxima Centauri and the noodle arrives, Proxima Centauri has moved for 8.6 years.

The more distant the target the greater the distance of movement.
Add in the dynamics of the Solar system and the Centauri system.
Add in the occluding elephants occupying the 4.3 light years of space between and you have unpredictable signal detection.

But, lets say we learn to track and account or displacement over time in a known path like Proxima Centauri.
To ensure signal detection it would be best to send a long duration signal of 4.3 years or more uninterrupted.
Even then Proxima Centauri would not detect 4.3 years of uninterrupted signal because of random occlusions. Occlusions close to the signal source have longer duration than the same size occlusion at midway. Same with random occlusions at the destination.

Its pretty safe to think other Sun-like stars possess the same system dynamics as the Solar system, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, Oort clouds, etc...
None of which can be detected by our best equipment.
We just recently have been able to detect planets.
All this debris represents possible unknown occlusion to our signal.

Plus, when that flying spaghetti noodle misses our target and contacts an unknown more distant detector its going to look like a false positive to them.

The WOW! signal source was the Sagittarius constellation. It might have been a fragment of a communication with another target and we just happened to be in alignment to capture a small portion as we passed with a clear view of the signal as they aligned the transmission to their target.
You would get a profile like we see


https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CXpuVKyPF9E/S-CjmT2Sc7I/AAAAAAAAAj8/LQy9xzSVHIE/s1600/Wow_signal_profile.png

It ramps up, peaks and drops off (72 seconds total).
We can't find it again because the source has moved an unknown factor and could be occluded behind something with a long duration occlusion from our point of detection.

Its the same with the SETI@Home false positives.
The signals exist, its our own limitations which make it hard to confirm.

Well, that's what I'm working on.
I'm open to feedback and discussion on this.
It will help me in writing the paper if I get other views on the subjects.

Like I said, I'm not seeking recognition or money.
Just trying to inspire thinking out of the box.
I think it would be cool to confirm we are not alone in this Universe of hundreds of trillions of planets before I die.

This would make a very interesting article and it certainly made me think. Just as the Hubble telescope was an eye on the Universe that showed us so much, it made me wonder what we would discover if we had an orbiting "ear" listening to the Universe.

Where are you going to get the elephants from ?

I’ve been watching the Wow signals since 2004. Now they are picking up. Very unusual. When SETI has its public financing stripped, it asked the public help with identifying parts of the images that had accumulated. They were backlogged 8 years at the time. Desktop SETI work as a volunteer was interesting and exciting. They may still be doing this through more modern equipment then what was available 16 years ago.

I had SETI@Home on my pc back in the 90s.
I didn't watch it much tho.
It ran when I wasn't using the computer.
I tried checking out what it was doing but it was a whole bunch of numbers basically.
It did have a really cool screensaver tho.

SETI@home still exists.
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/