Deep space radio waves baffle astronomers; aliens not ruled out

"I was there waiting for the Men in Black to show up, one astrophysicist said.

January 29, 2019, 6:16 PM

Aliens!

Astronomers can’t rule out that possibility after an exciting new discovery. A team in Canada recently stumbled upon ultra-brief repeating waves from deep space for only the second time in history.

Appearing on ABC News Live, Senior SETI astronomer Seth Shostak talked about the fascinating find: "Could that be aliens that are in those galaxies and they have some need to get in touch... well maybe."

PHOTO: The Orion Nebula and its associated cluster of young stars are photographed by the European Southern Observatory, July 26, 2017.
The Orion Nebula and its associated cluster of young stars are photographed by the European Southern Observatory, July 26, 2017.
Ho/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

"It is something new, every time we see something we’ve never seen before that is an opportunity to learn something new about the universe," astrophysicist Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi told ABC News Live.

Shostak also shared behind-the-scenes information about a promising signal discovered by SETI in 1997 and how he reacted at the time.

"We had picked up a signal, it was passing all the tests. This looked like the real deal, I was there waiting for the Men in Black to show up... " he said.

Watch the video above for the best moments from the ABC News Live segment.

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