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Beginnings and Endings and

December 15, 2003

by Dr. Peter Backus, Observing Programs Manager

The second best seat at the Arecibo Observatory is tucked into a nook in the cafeteria and looks out upon a small garden. It is my favorite place to enjoy a second cup of caf con leche while quietly contemplating the lush tropical flora and fauna that envelops the grounds. Arecibo is a study in contrast between the natural and the technical, but somehow it all seems exactly right.  A few more moments of philosophical reflection, one last sip of coffee, and I am ready to tackle the more mundane tasks for the day.

These tasks typically include reviewing the previous nights reports, making sure we have spare equipment ready, checking in with team members, arranging rides to and/or from the airport, and planning for the next observing run. Like any logistical work, some is interesting, some isnt. (I particularly dread the tedious paperwork involved in shipping equipment back to California). All of it is the work that gets me to the best seat at the observatory, the control console for Project Phoenix.

Now that were nearing the end of the run, I find my thoughts turning to the future and also to the past. Weve learned so much during the last few weeks, and observed so many stars. Some metrics: over the years, weve spent about 2,400 hours, or 100 days, using Arecibo to search for signs of communications technology from hundreds of nearby stars. So far, no luck. Perhaps when we return in February for the last run of Project Phoenix, well find the right star and frequency. I remind myself each visit that we are barely scratching the surface here; the numbers of stars and hours weve logged are small by astronomical scales.

And we finish observing at Arecibo enriched for the experience. We have been lucky in making so many friends at here. I will miss the people even more than the caf and the window seat by the garden.

Looking to the immediate post-Arecibo future, well be busy installing our search system at the Allen Telescope Array (ATA).  In parallel, were developing the next generation system. We call that system SonATA, for SETI on ATA. Its architecture is the next logical step, doing all of the processing in software. Finishing the ATA and building SonATA will keep our small team busy for a few years. But by then, we may have a new generation of SonATA (perhaps well call it Opus 2) that is far more powerful and compact than the current search system. It will be time to write another proposal for observing time at Arecibo. Perhaps I will be able to enjoy my caf con leche by the garden again.