Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

The near-infrared optical SETI (NIROSETI) team with their new infrared detector inside the dome at Lick Observatory. Left to right: Remington Stone, Dan Wertheimer, Jérome Maire, Shelley Wright, Patrick Dorval and Richard Treffers.
Credit: Laurie Hatch Photography, used with permission

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has shifted to the infrared.

Called NIROSETI — short for Near-Infrared Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence — the instrument saw its “first light” last month at the University of California’s Lick Observatory atop Mt. Hamilton east of San Jose.

NIROSETI technicians are making use of Lick Observatory’s Nickel 1-meter telescope.

The device is built to record levels of light over time so that patterns can be analyzed for potential signals of alien life.

For more information go to:

http://www.space.com/28910-seti-infrared-telescope-tech-nirosetti.html