TOPSHOT-US-SCIENCE-EXPLORATION-ALIEN

TOPSHOT - Children play softball in their schoolÕs field near the Green Bank Telescope, a 100-meter fully steerable radio telescope, is seen at the Green Bank Observatory in the US National Radio Quiet Zone May 20, 2024, in Green Bank, West Virginia. Nestled between mountains in a secluded corner of West Virginia, a giant awakens: the Green Bank Telescope begins its nightly vigil, scanning the cosmos for secrets. If intelligent life exists beyond Earth, there's a good chance the teams analyzing the data from the world's largest, fully steerable radio astronomy facility will be the first to know. "People have been asking themselves the question, 'Are we alone in the universe?' ever since they first gazed up at the night sky and wondered if there were other worlds out there," says Steve Croft, project scientist for the Breakthrough Listen initiative. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)