News
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June 18, 2019
Breakthrough Listen Publishes Most Comprehensive and Sensitive Search for Radio Technosignatures Ever Performed
Largest Data Set in the History of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Released to The Public. Over one thousand stars scanned for signals using Green Bank and Parkes Telescopes; Data released to the astronomical community.
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June 10, 2019
Breakthrough Watch and the European Southern Observatory achieve “first light” on upgraded planet-finding instrument to search for Earth-like planets in nearest star system
Newly-built planet-finding instrument installed on Very Large Telescope, Chile, begins 100-hour observation of nearby stars Alpha Centauri A and B, aiming to be first to directly image a habitable exoplanet.
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October 02, 2018
Breakthrough Listen, the World’s Biggest SETI Program, to Incorporate the Southern Hemisphere’s Biggest Radio Telescope – the MeerKAT Array – in its Existing Search for Extraterrestrial Signals & Technosignatures
Expanding its global network to the African continent, Breakthrough Listen will employ the MeerKAT Telescope in a powerful new search of a million nearby stars.
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September 10, 2018
Artificial Intelligence Helps Breakthrough Listen Find New Fast Radio Bursts
Machine learning algorithms applied to Listen data from the Green Bank Telescope find new pulses from the mysterious repeating source FRB 121102. Machine learning algorithm also helping Listen search for new kinds of candidate signals from extraterrestrial intelligence.
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May 30, 2018
Breakthrough Listen turns Parkes telescope toward retrograde asteroid 2015 BZ509
In 2014, astronomers using the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii discovered an asteroid doing something strange: orbiting the Sun clockwise, unlike all the planets and most asteroids in the solar system, which orbit counter-clockwise. The object shares a similar orbit to Jupiter’s – similar, that is, except for its “retrograde” direction of motion.
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May 08, 2018
Breakthrough Listen Begins Survey of the Plane of the Milky Way at Parkes
Hardware upgrades at Parkes enable faster surveys of the sky. Disk and bulge of our Milky Way Galaxy to be scanned in unprecedented detail. Over 60 days’ total observing time to be dedicated to the search for technologically advanced life beyond Earth.
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April 10, 2018
World-Renowned Scientists and Scholars Gather to Discuss Potential Life in our Solar System and Recent Space Discoveries
Watch Third Annual ‘Breakthrough Discuss’ Conference Live on YouTube Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13.
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March 14, 2018
Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018), Breakthrough Prize Laureate, Co-Founder Breakthrough Starshot and Breakthrough Listen Science Programs
All at the Breakthrough Foundation were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Stephen Hawking, winner of the 2013 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, as well as cherished partner of the Breakthrough Initiatives.
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March 02, 2018
Breakthrough Listen Detects New Fast Radio Burst
Breakthrough Listen has detected a new Fast Radio Burst (FRB) - an extremely intense radio signal from a distant galaxy.
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December 14, 2017
Breakthrough Listen Releases Initial Results and Data from Observations of ‘Oumuamua
No evidence of artificial signals emanating from the object so far detected by the Green Bank Telescope, but monitoring and analysis continue. Initial data are available for public inspection in the Breakthrough Listen archive.
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December 11, 2017
Breakthrough Listen to Observe Interstellar Object ‘Oumuamua
Green Bank Telescope turns its sights on cigar-shaped object moving rapidly through solar system.
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August 30, 2017
Breakthrough Listen Detects Repeating Fast Radio Bursts from the Distant Universe
Green Bank Telescope observations of a dwarf galaxy three billion light years away reveal 15 bursts of radio emission. This is the first time bursts from this source have been seen at these frequencies.
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July 26, 2017
In Quest to Reach Alpha Centauri, Breakthrough Starshot Launches World’s Smallest Spacecraft
First Prototype ‘Sprites’ – Precursors to Eventual ‘StarChip’ Probes – Achieve Low Earth Orbit.
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May 31, 2017
Breakthrough Initiatives and Jodrell Bank Observatory Launch New Collaboration in Search for Intelligent Life beyond Earth
Breakthrough Listen experiments in US and Australia to coordinate activities with historic UK telescopes Data sharing will allow rapid follow-up observations of possible signals.
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April 20, 2017
Breakthrough Listen Initiative Publishes Initial Results
Analysis results of petabytes of data from the first year of Green Bank Telescope observations made public, including the 11 events ranked highest for significance.
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April 18, 2017
Breakthrough Initiatives to Host World-Renowned Scientists and Scholars in Summit on Life in the Universe and Space Exploration
Second annual “Breakthrough Discuss” conference held April 20-21 and broadcast on Facebook Live.
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January 09, 2017
VLT to Search for Planets in Alpha Centauri System
ESO Signs Agreement with Breakthrough Initiatives.
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November 07, 2016
First Light for Breakthrough Listen at Parkes Telescope, Australia
Giant Radio Telescope Turns to New-Found Nearby Planet. Breakthrough Listen to Study Proxima b.
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October 12, 2016
National Astronomical Observatories of China, Breakthrough Initiatives Launch Global Collaboration in Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe
Breakthrough Listen experiments in US and Australia to coordinate activities with new 500m FAST radio telescope in China Data sharing will allow rapid follow-up observations of possible signals.
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August 24, 2016
Exoplanet Discovered in Habitable Zone of Alpha Centauri Star
ESO’s Pale Red Dot team announce discovery of “Proxima b”, potentially Earth-sized planet in habitable zone of red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, 4.22 light years away in Alpha Centauri system.
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April 12, 2016
Internet Investor and Science Philanthropist Yuri Milner & Physicist Stephen Hawking Announce Breakthrough Starshot Project to Develop 100 Million Mile per Hour Mission to the Stars within a Generation
$100 million research and engineering program will seek proof of concept for using light beam to propel gram-scale ‘nanocraft’ to 20 percent of light speed. A possible fly-by mission could reach Alpha Centauri within about 20 years of its launch. Mark Zuckerberg is joining the board.
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April 12, 2016
Breakthrough Listen Initiative Publicly Sharing Data from Unprecedented Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe
‘First light’ for networked telescopes combing heavens; vast searches announced for coming months; open source data available for download on Breakthrough Initiatives website.
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October 13, 2015
Geoff Marcy Resignation
On October 12, 2015 Geoff Marcy resigned as Principal Investigator of the Breakthrough Listen project. His resignation has been accepted.
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July 20, 2015
Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking Announce $100 Million Breakthrough Initiative to Dramatically Accelerate Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe
10-year, Multi-disciplinary Search Effort Will Harness World’s Largest Telescopes to Mine Data from Nearest Million Stars, Milky Way and 100 Galaxies.