History of SETI Projects

Based on data compiled by Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute

Date

Investigator(s)

Location

Antenna Diameter (m)

 Search Freq (Hz) Resolution (Hz)

Targets

 Comments
1960 Drake Green Bank 26 1420 M 100 e Eridani, t Ceti Project Ozma
1963-64 Kardashev,Sholomitskii Crimea Deep Space Station 16 x 8 ant. 923 M 10 M 2 quasars CTA 102 - initial report of type III civilization
1966 Kellerman Parkes 64 350-5,000 M full bandwidth 1 galaxy (1934-63)
1968-69 Troitskii, Rakhlin, Gershtejin, Starodubstev Zimenkie 5 926-8, 1421-3 M 13 11 stars and M31
1968-82 Troitskii Gorky dipole 1, 1.875, 3.75, 10 G all-sky
1969-83 Troitskii, Bondar, Starodubstev Gorky, Crimea, Murmansk, Primorskij dipoles 600, 927, 1863 M all-sky search for pulsed signals
1970-72 Slysh, Pashchenko, Rudnitskii, Lekht Nancay 40 x 240 antennas 1665, 1667 M 4 k 5 OH masers search for unnatural emission characteristics
1970-72 Slysh Nancay 40 x 240 antennas 1665, 1667 M 4 k 10 nearest stars
1971, 1972 Verschuur Green Bank 91, 43 1420-1, 1410-30 M 490, 6.9 k 9 stars Project "Ozpa"
1972 Kardashev, Popov, Soglasnov, et al Crimea, RT-22 22 8570 M galactic center search for statistical anomalies
1972-74 Kardashev, Gindilis, Popov, Soglasnov, Spangenburg, et al Caucasus, Pamir, Kamchatka, Mars 7 38, 60 371, 408, 458, 535 M 5 M omnidirectional "eavesdropping" search for pulses
1972-76 Zuckerman, Palmer Green Bank 91 1413-25, 1420-1 M 6.4x10^4, 4 k 674 stars Project "Ozma II"
1972-6 Bridle, Feldman Algonquin 46 22,235 M 30 k 70 stars first search at the water wavelength
1973-74 Shvartsman, et al Special Astrophys. Observatory, MANIA 0.6 optical 21 peculiar objects optical search for short pulses and laser lines
1973-1998 Dixon, Ehman, Raub, Kraus Ohio State 53 1420 M 10 k, 1 k all-sky Wow! signal in 1976
1974 Wishnia Copernicus 1 UV nearby stars search for UV laser lines
1975 Drake, Sagan Arecibo 305 1420, 1667, 2380 M 1 k 4 galaxies search for type II civilizations
1975-79 Israel, de Ruiter WRST 1500 1415 M 4x10^6 50 star fields
1976 Wielebinski, Seiradakis Max Planck Institute 100 1420 M 20 M various nearby stars search for pulsed signals with periods of 0.3-1.5 s
1976 Black, Cuzzi, Clark, Tarter Green Bank 43 8522-3 M 5 4 stars
1977 Black, Cuzzi, Clark, Tarter Green Bank 91 1665, 1667 M 5 200 stars
1977 Drake, Stull Arecibo 305 1664-8 M 0.5 6 stars
1978 Shvartsman, et al Special Astrophys. Observatory, MANIA 6 optical optical search of 30 radio objects for pulses from Kardashev II or III civiliz.
1978 Horowitz Arecibo 305 1420 M 0.015 185 stars
1978 Cohen, Malkan, Dickey Arecibo, HRO, Parkes 305, 36, 64 1665-7, 22235, 1612M 9.5 k, 65 k, 4.5 k 25 globular clusters passive search for type II and III civilizations
1978 Knowles, Sullivan Arecibo 305 130-500 M 1 2 stars
1978 Makovetskij, Gindilis, et al Zelenchukskaya, RATAN-600 7.4x450 Barnard's Star
1978-80 Harris Pioneer Venus, Venera 11 and 12 20 keV - 1 MeV 54 g-ray bursters search for 3 linear events as sign of i/s spacecraft
1979 Cole, Ekers Parkes 64 5000 M 10 M, 1 M nearby FGK stars
1979 Freitas, Valdes Leuschner Observatory 0.76 optical Lagrangian points Bracewell probes
1979-81 Tarter, Clark, Cuquet, Lesyna Arecibo 305 1420, 1666 M 5, 600 200 stars
1979-85 Bowyer et al Hat Creek 26 917-937, 1410-30, 1602-5 M, etc 2x500 all-sky SERENDIP piggyback
1980 Witteborn NASA-Univ. of Arizona, Mt Lemon 1.5 infrared 20 stars infrared excess from Dyson spheres
1980-81 Suchkin, Tokarev, et al Nirfi, Gorkii, Gaish, Moscow 9.3 M 1.5 k Lagrangian points Bracewell probes
1981 Lord, O'Dea Univ. of Mass. 14 115 G 20 k, 125 k N. galactic rot. axis
1981 Israel, Tarter WRST 3000 max. baseline 1420 M 4 M, 10 M 85 star fields parasitic search
1981-82 Biraud, Tarter Nancay 40x240 1420 M, 1665-7 M 49 343 stars
1981 Shostak, Tarter WRST 3000 max. baseline 1420 M 1.2 k galactic center interferometer search for pulsed signals
1981 Talent Kitt Peak 2.1 optical 3 stars search for enhanced stellar lines of rare earth elements as evidence of et nuclear waste disposal
1981-2 Valdes, Freitas Kitt Peak 0.61 optical Langrangian points Project "SETA". Search for Bracewell probes
1982 Horowitz, Teague,Linscott, Chen, Backus Arecibo 305 2841 M / 1420 M 0.03 250 stars / 150 stars "Suitcase SETI"
1982 Vallee, Simard-Normandin Algonquin 46 10522 M 185 M galactic center meridian search for strongly polarized signals
1983-85 Horowitz Oak Ridge 26 1420 M, 1667 M 0.03 sky survey Project Sentinel
1983 Damashek Green Bank 92 390 M 2x10^6 sky survey search for single pulses and telemetry
1983 Valdes, Freitas Hat Creek 26 1516 M 4.9 k / 76 k 80 stars / 12 stars search for radioactive tritium from et fusion technology
1983 Gulkis DSS 43 64 8 G, 2380 M 40 k southern sky survey
1983-88 Gray Small SETI Observatory 4 1419-1421 M 1-40 sky survey amateur meridian transit search
1983-4 Cullers AMSETI 2 1420, <1000 M amateur SETI based on satellite TV dishes
1983-8 Stephens Hay River, NWT two 18x18 1415-25 M 30 k northern sky survey amateur SETI observatory using two 64-ft square dishes
1984 Slysh satellite radiometer 37 G 400 M all-sky Dyson spheres radiating > 1sol. lum. within 100 pc
1985-95 Horowitz Oak Ridge 26 1420, 1665, 1667, 2841 M 0.05 sky survey META
1986-88 Bowyer, Wertheimer, Lampton Green Bank 92 400-3,500 M 1 various sky areas SERENDIP II
1986 Mirabel Green Bank 43 4,830 M 76 galactic center, 33 stars
1986 Betz Mount Wilson 1.65 infrared 3.5 M 100 Sun-like stars search for IR beacons at carbon dioxide laser freq.
1986- Colomb, Martin, Lemarchand Argentina 30 1415, 1425, 1667 M 2.5 k 78 Sun-like stars
1987 Tarter, Kardashev, Slysh VLA 26 x 9 ant. 1,612 M 6.1 k G357.3-1.3 obs. of IR source near galactic center to check if Dyson sphere
1987 Gray Oak Ridge 26 1,420 M 0.05 sky positions of Wow! signal used META system
1988 Bania, Rood Green Bank 43 8,665 M 305 24 Vega-like stars with IR excess search for narrow-band signal at freq. of spin-flip of 3He+
1990 Colomb et al. Argentina 30 1,420 M 0.05 all-sky META II (southern hemis.)
1990 Blair et al. Parkes 64 4,462 M 100 100 Sun-like stars search at pi times 21-cm hydrogen line frequency
1990 Gray Oak Ridge 26 1,420 M 0.05 M31, M33
1990- Kingsley Bexley, Ohio 0.25 optical nearby stars COSETI
1992 NASA Ames Arecibo 305 1.3-2.4 G 1, 7, 28 78 Sun-like stars HRMS targeted search
1992 JPL Goldstone 26, 34 1.7 G, 8.3-8.7 G 30 all-sky HRMS sky survey
1992-96 Bowyer, Wertheimer, Donnelly Arecibo 305 423-435 M 0.6 all-sky SERENDIP III
1993 Steffes, Deboer NRAO/Tucson 12 203 G 32 40 stars and 3 locations near galactic center search near positronium line
1995- SETI Institute Parkes-Mopra / Arecibo / Jodrell Bank 64 / 305 / 76 1.2-3 G 1 206 stars / 192 stars / 600 stars Project Phoenix
1995 Gray VLA 26 1,420 M 381, 6.1 k "Wow!" signal region
1995 Beskin Special Astrophysical Observatory 6 optical several objects
1995 Mauersberger, Wilson, Rood, Bania, Hein, Linhart IRAM 30 203 G 9.7 k 17 stars and positions search at spin-flip frequency of positronium
1995-99 Horowitz, et al Oak Ridge 26 1.4-1.7 G 0.5 northern all-sky BETA; covered full waterhole (damaged by wind storm)
1996 Blair, Zadnik Perth, Australia 0.64 optical nearby stars
1997- Wertheimer, et al. Arecibo 305 1.32-1.52 G 0.6 all-sky SERENDIP IV
1998- SETI League amateur dishes (up to 5000) 3-5 1.42 G 10 all directions in real time Project Argus
1998- Stootman, et al. Parkes 64 0.6 1,418-1,420 M southern random all-sky Southern SERENDIP; uses 13 beams on sky from focal plane array
1999- Wertheimer Leuschner 0.76 optical nearby stars search for pulsed signals
1999- Marcy Lick and Keck 4 and 10 optical nearby stars search for narrowband continuous wave sugnals in data archive of extrasolar planet search
1999- Horowitz Harvard Smithsonian 1.55 optical nearby stars search for nanoseccond pulsed signals
1999- Montebugnoli Medicina 32 1,415-1,425 M; 4,255-4,256 M 0.6 northern sky survey SETI Italia; SERENDIP-type ransom sky survey at 21 cm and 7 cm
1999- Wertheimer, Anderson Arecibo 305 1.419-1.421 G 0.1 all sky SETI@home (2.5 MHz of SERENDIP IV data analyzed by screen-savers on home PCs