AMATEUR OPTICAL SETI

Stuart A. Kingsley

Fiberdyne Optoelectronics/

The Columbus Optical SETI Observatory

545 Northview Drive,

Columbus, Ohio 43209-1051

Abstract

In the companion review paper on so-called Professional Optical SETI, it was suggested that ETIs are more likely to use lasers to contact emerging technical civilizations, and that such optical ETI signals will have very high EIRPs. This paper further proposes, that it is a sensible activity for amateur optical astronomers to construct their own Optical SETI observatories. Details are given of the equipment required and the approximate costs. The author describes the Optical SETI Observatory which is presently under construction in Columbus, Ohio. A coordinated Amateur Optical SETI (AMOSETI) activity could make a useful contribution to SETI research by conducting a low-sensitivity Targeted Search in the visible and near-infrared spectrums. This could be done in parallel with the present NASA Targeted Search that is part of the High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS). Signal processing techniques and data-handling procedures developed for this AMOSETI research activity, would set the stage for NASA's eventual extension of HRMS into the optical regime.

31 Pages

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Paper 2