The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a scientific effort to detect signals or evidence of intelligent alien civilizations through radio astronomy, optical searches, and analysis of astronomical data. SETI represents humanity's systematic attempt to answer whether we are alone in the universe.
Acronym formed from 'Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence,' coined in the 1960s as radio astronomy advanced. The field was pioneered by Frank Drake's Project Ozma in 1960, with the term SETI becoming standard by the 1970s.
SETI has analyzed trillions of radio signals from space but found only one truly mysterious candidate—the famous 'Wow! Signal' from 1977 that lasted 72 seconds and never repeated! Modern SETI searches process data so fast that your smartphone has more computing power than entire SETI projects had in the 1980s.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.