Who’s Calling From Outer Space? [PHIL-OSOPHY]

One ringy-dingy. Two ringy-dingy.

Space scientists have detected a burst of radio waves from somewhere far outside our Milky Way galaxy. Ordinarily not a big deal, since such millisecond-long bursts are detected from time to time. However, this is only the second time ever that a cluster of bursts has repeated from the same location. The finding was presented at the 233rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle.

The mystery about why these bursts happen and where they come from has been what always spurs believers to think that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations are creating them.

The first one was discovered in 2015. This new repeating fast radio burst was recorded six times coming from the same location, 1.5 billion light-years away. This is one of the very first detections made by the new Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, or CHIME. The radio telescope was still in its pre-commissioning phase and operating with only a small amount of its full capacity when it detected this and 12 singular fast radio bursts.

I believe overall there's enough evidence to support the possibility of advanced life out there. And as scientists try to add more pieces to the cosmic puzzle, I'm intrigued to find out more about where these radio signals are coming from and what's causing them.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 am to 10 am. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.