Anomaly (eBook)
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EPUB
2022
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1. Auflage
600 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-4677-4 (ISBN)
600 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-4677-4 (ISBN)
The strange radio signal received in the astronomy observatory set in motion a dangerous quest to find the truth. This was a truth that would change lives of Professor Ron Fremont and his friends, a truth that powerful organizations would quash at any cost, a truth so monumental that its reality was both sought and feared. This is an adventure of discovery, of treachery, of wonderment and of fear.
As Professor Ron Fremont is being interviewed by Ann Hoffman, a Lowell Banner science reporter, two of his doctoral students detect a radio signal seeming to come from or near the dark horizon of the Moon using the radio telescope at the UML observatory. The signal appears to contain intelligent characteristics, but unlike anything of Earth origin. At Ron's urging, Ann agrees that mention of the detected signal in the newspaper will be suspended until Ron determines its nature. Professor Fremont and his students eliminate the possibility of the signal originating from any satellite or terrestrial source, and verify the existence of intelligent content. They are baffled and curious as to why others around the globe haven't reported this signal. The intelligence embedded on the signal defies all their attempts at decoding. The students continue to detect the signal with the rise of the Moon above Earth's horizon as viewed from the UML observatory. All attempts to subscribe the signals to satellites or Earth launched spacecraft is for naught, firming belief that the signal is being generated by beings not of the Earth...
As Professor Ron Fremont is being interviewed by Ann Hoffman, a Lowell Banner science reporter, two of his doctoral students detect a radio signal seeming to come from or near the dark horizon of the Moon using the radio telescope at the UML observatory. The signal appears to contain intelligent characteristics, but unlike anything of Earth origin. At Ron's urging, Ann agrees that mention of the detected signal in the newspaper will be suspended until Ron determines its nature. Professor Fremont and his students eliminate the possibility of the signal originating from any satellite or terrestrial source, and verify the existence of intelligent content. They are baffled and curious as to why others around the globe haven't reported this signal. The intelligence embedded on the signal defies all their attempts at decoding. The students continue to detect the signal with the rise of the Moon above Earth's horizon as viewed from the UML observatory. All attempts to subscribe the signals to satellites or Earth launched spacecraft is for naught, firming belief that the signal is being generated by beings not of the Earth...
CHAPTER 2
Search of Sky Section
IT WAS TWO nights after the initial observation, clear and cold with very low humidity, an ideal atmosphere to search the heavens. Jenny had rushed through her supper, fed her cat, and hurried back to the science building. The mystery of the strange signal was becoming an obsession with her. Astronomy had always been her passion. She had moved to Lowell from her parent’s home in Springfield to attend the University, and now at twenty five was pursuing a PhD in astrophysics. She concentrated on her studies and the astronomy club. She had only shrugged when her boyfriend had tired of her.
She no sooner had taken her seat at the controls for the 14” telescope, than Fred arrived. Some small talk occurred, but then they were down to business. Fred focused on the radio controls, while Jenny turned her attention to the rising Moon. There had been only a few minutes of signal activity recorded each night. The strange signal was there again; not a steady signal, but one which came infrequently.
A little after nine, Dirk and Ron joined them in the control hut. With not much room to turn around, they peered at the map depicting the sky section of interest. Dirk pointed out all the known satellites in the sector and their operating radio frequencies, and that there was no satellite operating in the observed sector. Fred’s azimuth scan over two nights picked up no signals at the frequencies of interest from terrestrial sources. They all agreed that the signal source was likely a satellite, possibly in an erroneous geo-stationary orbit, or a clandestine operation by any of several countries. Jenny concentrated her effort on the dark horizon of the Moon as it moved over the night sky.
ANN PUSHED HER chair back from the computer. It was almost 9:30, too late to politely call anyone. She had thought of him during the day, distracting at times. The column was finished; could she ask him to look at it, see if there was anything to add? Was it so transparent? She wanted to see him again. She couldn’t deny the physical attraction. In her purse she found his business card. She smiled. His home phone number was there also.
“Ron? I’m sorry to call so late. I just finished my column…”
“I just got home from MIT. I picked up the hydrogen maser I promised to get. Did you want me to look at it?”
“Would you? I thought there might be some last minute additions… I don’t want to impose on your time, though. Would tomorrow be better?”
“Well, I don’t think e-mail would be very productive. We’d have to discuss it. How about you buy me dessert at the Riverside Diner?”
“Oh, that’d be great. I so much appreciate this. I’ll leave right now.”
“Okay. See you there.”
He parked his SUV next to her gray Camry sedan. She smiled as he walked past the window. His heart beat faster.
Ann looked up as he slid into the booth. “I hope that I’m not taking you away from your quiet time. I just thought…”
“It’s nice to see you again.”
Ann dropped her gaze, her cheeks reddened. “Nice to see you, too.”
“Coffee?” It was the same waitress, the same tired look, the same underlying sadness.
He smiled. “Sure, and a slice of your lemon meringue pie.”
“And you, Miss?”
“I’ll just have a bite of his.” She smiled at Ron, and then turned to the folder on the table, pulling out two sheets of typed text.
“There are still some things that I’d like to ask about,” she said.
Ron nodded, stealing glances at her face when she looked down at the pages. He went over the details of the optical and radio telescope again with her, elaborating on the computer control of the sky searches.
The waitress returned with their coffee and pie. Ron laid the papers aside, took a sip and tasted the pie. Ann stabbed the corner of the pie to taste it.
“I could e-mail you a few file pictures of the Science Lab. There’s even one of the optical telescope.”
Ann beamed. “I’d love that.” She reached into her purse and removed a business card. “I forgot to leave this with you the other day. E-mail’s on there for work and home.” She felt his touch when their fingers momentarily met.
He nodded, put the card in his shirt pocket.
She looked at him, grinned, “I think that does it. Thanks.”
“I’m sure you’ll make us look good. A little press can’t hurt.”
He looked at her over his coffee cup as she bent over her papers. The softness of her face stirred him. With barely any makeup, her few freckles only added to her charm. Her silky hair, curved into soft curls, draped on her shoulder. The plain white blouse stretched tautly over her breasts, tugging at the buttons as she breathed. He pulled his gaze away as she finished reading.
“So what’s the latest thinking about that strange signal? Are you still hearing it?”
“What we know so far is that we detect the signal only when the Moon is above the horizon. It is not a continuous signal, but comes in bursts lasting a few seconds to a minute. The signal is at the second harmonic of hydrogen, and has a very narrow line width.”
“Line width?”
Ron smiled and nodded. “It’s the bandwidth a signal takes up. This signal is extremely narrow, and is probably generated by something like a hydrogen maser. At least that’s how we would do it. The intelligence, or information if you’d rather, is imposed on the signal with some kind of phase modulation. Tomorrow we’ll set up the maser I borrowed and see if indeed phase modulation is being employed.”
“But then what? Can you tell what the signal is saying?”
“Not likely. We won’t know the kind of encoding that is being used. What we will know is whether there is intelligence - information - on the signal, and maybe a clue as to who sent up the satellite.”
“So you’re pretty sure it’s a satellite? You didn’t seem so sure the other day.”
He grinned. “You were listening to all that?”
“Every word. This is fascinating.”
He sipped and put the cup down slowly. “The highest probability is that it is a satellite, maybe in an incorrect high orbit. The next guess would be that either Russia or China or maybe Japan lobbed something up onto the Moon, and what we’re hearing is a data beacon. Hopefully Fred and Dirk will be able to tell us more once we get the maser set up.”
“And what about ET? Is that not even on the list?”
Ron shrugged. “I wouldn’t rule it out altogether, but damn unlikely.”
“You don’t believe in ET?”
Ron didn’t answer for some seconds. Ann picked up her coffee cup and sipped.
“I have an open mind on that. It’s almost impossible to see how it could be, though.”
“Is there anything about that signal that would make you think that ET might be giving us a ring?”
The slight smile on her face intrigued him. He felt her moving into his being and didn’t want to fight it. He wanted to tell her more, but couldn’t. It was too unbelievable, and too risky. The work he had done at the Air Force could not be mentioned.
“It is a strange situation. The hydrogen frequency and harmonics aren’t used here on Earth or in satellites by international agreement because cosmologists study the universe using radio signals from gas plasmas of galaxies and stars.”
She looked up, listening, and took another bite of the pie. “I read about those agreements somewhere…”
“Well, astronomers look at the cosmos at frequencies of various plasma sources to study the make-up of the stars. But, they always hope to hear something that would suggest intelligent life somewhere.”
“That’s what you guys are hearing?” she asked.
“Uh-huh. Finding a discernible signal sitting on the hydrogen line or a harmonic is an extremely unlikely event.”
“How come no one else has heard it? Or have they?”
“There may be others wondering what it is, just like we are. I can’t imagine that the government spooks aren’t looking at this, since I’m sure Haystack Observatory must have notified them. Dirk Watson, whom you met, and Jeremy...
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 9.5.2022 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Science Fiction |
| ISBN-10 | 1-6678-4677-9 / 1667846779 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-6678-4677-4 / 9781667846774 |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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