Fact Check: Did China detect aliens from their Sky Eye Telescope?

The world of astronomy was shaken this week when China reported that a radio telescope may have identified traces of an alien civilization. China is claiming to have a huge “Sky Eye” telescope that may have picked up the signals from a far away alien civilization.

The news was posted by China’s state-backed Science Technology Daily, but was later deleted. However, the news caught the eye of a number of users who later took to Twitter to break the news.

According to scientists, the narrow-band electromagnetic signals caught this time are different from the previous ones. Professor Zhang Tongjie, the chief scientist of the China Extraterrestrial Civilization Research Group at Beijing Normal University, said,

"The possibility that the suspicious signal is some kind of radio interference is also very high, and it needs to be further confirmed and ruled out. This may be a long process. ‘China Sky Eye' will repeat the observation of suspicious signals that have been discovered to further identify and detect new signals."

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So, did China really detect Aliens?

The Five-Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, better known as FAST, basically picks up the narrow band signal, which is mostly from an artificial source, and not a natural one. Moreover, what the researchers found was radio-frequency signals, similar to those from mobile phones, satellites and much more. Netizens are definitely taking the news with a pinch of salt and commented by saying that the situation is too good to be true!

At the same time, a lot of scientists are claiming this to be a false signal, or a misinterpreted one. According to them, these signals have nothing to do with extraterrestrials. This is nothing but radio frequency interference.

The FAST is uniquely able to scan the signals, and it also eliminated 99% of the signals. However, the one percent of the signal has to be studied more carefully. FAST is the world’s most sensitive radio telescope, which observes stars and other natural space phenomena. While it has the capability to target exoplanets, which are outside our solar system, this time, the 1% signals need to be checked for the scientists to confirm the news on the aliens or other life forms existing outside of or within our solar system.

FAST, China's giant telescope claiming to get signals from Aliens could be nothing but Radio Frequencies. (Image via Twitter)

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So, NO, China did not detect Aliens. The process is a pretty long one in which the suspicious signal will be checked, and the news will be ruled out or confirmed on the basis of various rounds of studies. Some scientists have already claimed that the signals received were from a radio interference, not from ET.

They claimed that the signals detected were made by our own civilization and not another civilisation. Therefore, till the time the news is not 100% true, it is to be believed that scientists from China did not detect signals from aliens on other planets.