A new radio signal from outer space. Is someone saying hello?

Have you ever seen the movie Contact? Based on a book by Carl Sagan, it's a story about someone listening to a radio telescope scanning the sky, looking for radio signals from other planets that could be messages from an extraterrestrial race. 

I've seen the movie a couple of times. I've found it compelling. I have not read the book, but I probably should. The movie ends with our lead character having made contact with another advanced species. And the US government covering it up. 

There is such an organization as the SETI Institute. And they are continuously looking to the sky. Trying to find that radio signal that will prove that there is. Intelligent life somewhere else in the cosmos. 

Other organizations besides SETI use radio telescopes to scour the sky looking for planets. Planets that might be similar to our Earth and that brings us to this story. 

According to msn.com,
‘Astronomers have detected a 'coherent' radio signal from a distant planet, reigniting hope for the existence of extraterrestrial life. The signal is thought to originate from a far-off, Earth-sized planet, suggesting it might possess a magnetic field similar to our own.’ 

Now, the idea that this planet might have a magnetic field similar to Earths is a big deal because that magnetic field is part of what holds our atmosphere around our planet. Without the magnetic field, that atmosphere would eventually strip away.  

The astronomers call these exoplanets and the most recent exoplanet that we're talking about, they have designated YZ Ceti b and they seem to feel that this particular planet might be one that possesses an earth like magnetic field. 

This rocky planetoid is orbiting the star YZ Ceti approximately 70.5 trillion miles from Earth. (About 12 light years) Their belief is that this regular pulsing signal is being caused by the planet's magnetic field interacting with the star. Discovering this radio signal is also important because it helps. Astronomers and scientists develop better methods for discovering other exoplanets. 

Joe Pesce from NSF (National Science Foundation) is quoted as saying,
"The search for potentially habitable or life-bearing worlds in other solar systems depends in part on being able to determine if rocky, Earth-like exoplanets actually have magnetic fields". "We saw the initial burst, and it looked beautiful," 

The thing to keep in mind here is this is an amazing discovery, but this is not ET saying hello and inviting us to come by for a snack.  

What this is, is another small step forward in the search for life out in the great beyond. 

Alien life breakthrough as astronomers detect 'coherent' radio signal from distant planet
Alien life closer to being proven after 85-planet discovery - Space News - News - Daily Express US
SETI Institute
YZ Ceti b - NASA Science