SETI Institute

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when we find life beyond Earth?

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OSIRIS-REx to Deliver Bennu’s Parcel Sunday!

In the early hours of September 24, the retrieval team will await the much-anticipated capsule in Utah’s desert. If all goes well, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will release the capsule from an altitude of 63,000 miles above Earth. The capsule will then enter Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 28,000 miles per hour, creating a 10-second artificial meteor in the skies over Nevada around 7:42 am PDT. SETI Institute meteor astronomer Dr. Peter Jenniskens will join other NASA scientists and amateur astronomers in North-East Nevada to witness the return home.

We are getting closer to discovering life on other worlds.

SETI Institute’s researchers are in the forefront of this effort. Be part of the search.

Our work Meet our scientists

A Nonprofit Research Organization

From microbes to alien intelligence, the SETI Institute is America’s only organization wholly dedicated to searching for life in the universe.

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SETI Research

Allen Telescope Array

The first radio telescope to be designed from the ground up to be used for SETI searches.

LaserSETI

LaserSETI is a project, instrument, and set of observatories designed to scan the sky, all the time for extrasolar laser pulses.

GNU Radio & SETI

GNU technology could speed the design of new receivers, and to allow scientists to quickly change how data are analyzed and displayed.

SETI news

New findings related to SETI research

What is SETI Research?

Scientists doing SETI experiments are looking for proof – not merely of life elsewhere – but of intelligent beings in other star systems.

Visit Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO)

Located in northern California, the HCRO is home to the Allen Telescope Array

Get Involved

Attend an event

Are you ready to participate in the conversation? Come to a public talk.

Listen to a podcast/broadcast

Get weekly episodes of the Institute's science radio program, Big Picture Science.

Become a PI or Affiliate

Request to have grants funded through the SETI Institute. If you don’t already have a grant, the SETI Institute can help you propose for one.

SETI

Real-time search for exterrestrial intelligence

Drake Equation

What is the probability of extraterrestrial life?

Girl Scouts Reach for the Stars

SETI Institute partners with Scouts for next gen badges.

Frontier Development Lab

AI accelerator for space science

More about AI

Exoplanets

Are there Earth-like planets elsewhere in our galaxy?

100+ Scientists

The SETI Institute has more than 100 research scientists investigating the nature of the universe and the prevalence of life beyond Earth. To find out more about their work and interests, browse by name or discipline using the search boxes below.

Meet our scientists

500,000+ Students and Counting

Our Center for Education develops STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs, as well as resources that teach, excite and inspire children, young adults and educators. From space science badges for Girl Scouts to professional development workshops and courses, summer internships, curriculum development, planetarium programs and exhibit development, our education programs foster future leaders in STEAM fields.

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A Global Community

We make our work accessible to the public, students and life-long learners with a wide variety of outreach activities. These take place online, in print, in real life, and on the air. Programs include SETI Talks (our monthly lecture series), Big Picture Science (our weekly podcast and radio program), SETI Live talks (online interviews), our Journey e-newsletter, and the annual Explorer magazine.

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