A group of astronomers are studying if we are really alone in the universe after puzzling radio waves were detected in Australia.
The narrow beam of radio waves was picked up by the Parkes telescope in April and May of last year, according to The Guardian.
The report says that scientists believe those radio emissions came from the direction of Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star 4.2 light years from earth, also known as the nearest star to the sun.
The group conducting the study is the Breakthrough Listen Project that was started in 2015 with the goal of searching for evidence of life in space, but has not been able to confirm if the beams came from earthly equipment or a passing satellite.
Pete Worden, the former director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, says it’s important to wait and see what the project’s scientist conclude.
Worden says these signals are likely interference that we cannot yet fully explain.
The late Stephen Hawking called the work critically important when the group was established five years ago and emphasized that it was important for us to know if we are alone in the dark.