Frequently Asked Questions

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1. When will the COSETI Observatory start collecting quantitative OSETI data?
2. When will detailed observatory construction information be provided on this web site?
3. Are there job opportunities with the COSETI Observatory?
4. I think your estimates of maximum pulsed ETI EIRPs are very optimistic.  Is it still sensible for amateurs to do Optical SETI if expected EIRPs are much less?
5. Where can I buy PMTs, APDs, fiber-optics, spectrometers, etc.?
6. When is the next Optical SETI Conference?

When will the COSETI Observatory start collecting quantitative OSETI data?

The delay in getting the COSETI fully operational has been due to pressures of my day job and the effort in putting this web site together.  It is now hoped that quantitative and regular observational runs will start in the Spring of 1998.

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When will detailed observatory construction information be provided on this web site?

Later in 1998.

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Are there job opportunities with the COSETI Observatory?

The short answer for the moment is "No".  There may be in the future, if and when external funding is obtained.

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I think your estimates of maximum ETI EIRPs are very optimistic.  Is it still sensible for amateurs to do Optical SETI if expected EIRPs are much less?

If the pulsed attention-getting EIRPs of ETI beacons are much smaller than I have projected, then it will be necessary to use an optical filter to cut down the noise from the sky and stellar backgrounds.  This will increase the search time as "magic optical frequencies" will have to be chosen for the filter and many filters used or a tunable filter employed to cover the desired frequency space.  Thus, the search time per star will be increased.  The effort to look for pulsed beacons will then begin to approach the effort required to look for monochromatic continuous wave beacons.

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Where can I buy PMTs, APDs, fiber-optics, spectrometers, etc.?

See the photonic buyers guides and other optoelectronic publications at this link.

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When is the next Optical SETI Conference?

The next international conference on Optical SETI is expected to be held in late January 1999.

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