SETI@home: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox software | {{Infobox software | ||
| name = SETI@home | | name = SETI@home | ||
| logo = SETI | | logo = SETI@home logo.png | ||
| logo caption = SETI@home logo | | logo caption = SETI@home logo | ||
| screenshot = SETI | | screenshot = SETI@home custom background and logo screensaver.gif | ||
| caption = The SETI@home screensaver displaying radio signal analysis in progress | | caption = The SETI@home screensaver displaying radio signal analysis in progress | ||
| description = SETI@home is a hibernating volunteer computing project hosted by the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley, using the BOINC platform to search for extraterrestrial intelligence by analyzing radio telescope data from Arecibo and Green Bank. | | description = SETI@home is a hibernating volunteer computing project hosted by the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley, using the BOINC platform to search for extraterrestrial intelligence by analyzing radio telescope data from Arecibo and Green Bank. | ||
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'''SETI@home''' (pronounced "SETI at home") is a volunteer [[distributed computing]] project run by the [[Berkeley SETI Research Center]] and hosted by the [[Space Sciences Laboratory]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref name="wikipedia-seti">{{cite web |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home |title=SETI@home |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> Its goal is to analyze radio telescope data in search of signals that could indicate extraterrestrial intelligence, making it one of many activities in the worldwide [[Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence|SETI]] effort. SETI@home ran as an active volunteer computing project from May 17, 1999, until March 31, 2020, when it entered an indefinite period of hibernation while the research team focused on analyzing accumulated data.<ref name="hibernation-announcement">{{cite web |url=https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/old_news.php |title=SETI@home hibernation announcement |publisher=SETI@home, University of California, Berkeley |date=2020-03-07 |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> | '''SETI@home''' (pronounced "SETI at home") is a volunteer [[distributed computing]] project run by the [[Berkeley SETI Research Center]] and hosted by the [[Space Sciences Laboratory]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref name="wikipedia-seti">{{cite web |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home |title=SETI@home |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> Its goal is to analyze radio telescope data in search of signals that could indicate extraterrestrial intelligence, making it one of many activities in the worldwide [[Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence|SETI]] effort. SETI@home ran as an active volunteer computing project from May 17, 1999, until March 31, 2020, when it entered an indefinite period of hibernation while the research team focused on analyzing accumulated data.<ref name="hibernation-announcement">{{cite web |url=https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/old_news.php |title=SETI@home hibernation announcement |publisher=SETI@home, University of California, Berkeley |date=2020-03-07 |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> | ||
[[File:Arecibo Observatory Aerial View.jpg|thumb|The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico was SETI@home's primary data source throughout most of the project's history. Data was recorded onto magnetic tapes and physically mailed to Berkeley for processing.]] | |||
[[File:Arecibo Observatory | |||
SETI@home was the third large-scale use of volunteer computing over the Internet for research purposes, following the [[Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search]] (GIMPS), launched in 1996, and [[distributed.net]], launched in 1997.<ref name="spacenews-10th">{{cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/seti-at-home-celebrates-10th-anniversary/ |title=SETI@home Celebrates 10th Anniversary |publisher=SpaceNews |date=2009 |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> With over 5.2 million participants worldwide at its peak, it was the volunteer computing project with the most participants recorded to date,<ref name="wikipedia-seti"/> and was recognized by the 2008 edition of the ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the largest computation in history.<ref name="guinness">{{cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/73215-largest-distributed-computing-project |title=Largest distributed computing project |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> | SETI@home was the third large-scale use of volunteer computing over the Internet for research purposes, following the [[Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search]] (GIMPS), launched in 1996, and [[distributed.net]], launched in 1997.<ref name="spacenews-10th">{{cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/seti-at-home-celebrates-10th-anniversary/ |title=SETI@home Celebrates 10th Anniversary |publisher=SpaceNews |date=2009 |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> With over 5.2 million participants worldwide at its peak, it was the volunteer computing project with the most participants recorded to date,<ref name="wikipedia-seti"/> and was recognized by the 2008 edition of the ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the largest computation in history.<ref name="guinness">{{cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/73215-largest-distributed-computing-project |title=Largest distributed computing project |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> | ||
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Volunteers installed a free client program on their computers. When the machine was otherwise idle, the program downloaded a work unit from the SETI@home server, processed it, and returned the results automatically upon the next Internet connection. The software also featured an optional [[screensaver]] that displayed a real-time visualization of the signal analysis in progress, showing [[spectrogram]]s and signal-strength graphs.<ref name="universetoday">{{cite web |url=https://www.universetoday.com/articles/setihome-is-on-pause-unfortunately-its-not-because-theyve-discovered-aliens |title=SETI@home is on Pause |publisher=Universe Today |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> | Volunteers installed a free client program on their computers. When the machine was otherwise idle, the program downloaded a work unit from the SETI@home server, processed it, and returned the results automatically upon the next Internet connection. The software also featured an optional [[screensaver]] that displayed a real-time visualization of the signal analysis in progress, showing [[spectrogram]]s and signal-strength graphs.<ref name="universetoday">{{cite web |url=https://www.universetoday.com/articles/setihome-is-on-pause-unfortunately-its-not-because-theyve-discovered-aliens |title=SETI@home is on Pause |publisher=Universe Today |access-date=2026-05-26}}</ref> | ||
=== Signal detection algorithms === | === Signal detection algorithms === | ||
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Each work unit was analyzed across hundreds of frequency sub-bands and drift rates to account for the [[Doppler shift|Doppler frequency drift]] that would result from the relative motion between a transmitting planet and Earth.<ref name="wikipedia-seti"/> | Each work unit was analyzed across hundreds of frequency sub-bands and drift rates to account for the [[Doppler shift|Doppler frequency drift]] that would result from the relative motion between a transmitting planet and Earth.<ref name="wikipedia-seti"/> | ||
[[File:BOINC Manager Screenshot.jpg|left|thumb|SETI@home running in the BOINC Manager]] | |||
=== Work unit validation === | === Work unit validation === | ||