--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1957, I was studying the Pleiades star…" description: "\"In 1957, I was studying the Pleiades star cluster at Harvard University's radio observatory. On one occasion, we saw an added feature in the data. It t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/frank-drake-29398_astronomy_in-1957-i-was-studying-the-pleiades-star_467127.jpg" --- # In 1957, I was studying the Pleiades star cluster at… ![“In 1957, I was studying the Pleiades star cluster at Harvard University's radio observatory. On one occasion, we saw an added feature in the data. It turned out to be an amateur radio enthusiast near the observatory, but at the time, I thought we had detected clear evidence of another civilisation.” quote by Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/frank-drake-29398_astronomy_in-1957-i-was-studying-the-pleiades-star_467127.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/frank-drake-29398_astronomy_in-1957-i-was-studying-the-pleiades-star_467127.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/119/frank-drake-29398_astronomy_in-1957-i-was-studying-the-pleiades-star_467127.jpg) > “In 1957, I was studying the Pleiades star cluster at Harvard University's radio observatory. On one occasion, we saw an added feature in the data. It turned out to be an amateur radio enthusiast near the observatory, but at the time, I thought we had detected clear evidence of another civilisation.” [Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-drake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator mistook a human radio signal for an alien transmission, highlighting how easily we can misinterpret data when searching for extraterrestrials. **In simple terms:** Mistook a human signal for aliens. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and verify sources. Themes science misinterpretation SETI Mood curious reflective Type historical scientific When to use this quote - Astronomy research - radio monitoring - public communication Key Concepts Signal analysis confirmation bias Questions to Reflect On - How can we improve verification of anomalous signals? - What safeguards prevent premature conclusions? A Different Perspective Human signals can masquerade as extraterrestrial, leading to false hope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) Angela Llama-Butler > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. 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Click to know more”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastianmax/data-analytics-consulting-perceptive-analtyics-is-a-data-analytic/) SebastianMax > [“The amount of stored information grows four times faster than the world economy, while the processing power of computers grows nine times faster. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/the-amount-of-stored-information-grows-four-times-faster-than-the/) [Viktor Mayer-Schönberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/) ## More by Frank Drake > [The story seems to be that almost every star has a planetary system... and, also, the definition of 'habitable zone' has expanded. 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It will likely never even be seen by extraterrestrials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-drake/the-pulsar-map-is-not-dangerous-at-all-it-will-likely-never-even-be/) [Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-drake/) > [Other intelligent life-forms will differ greatly in appearance - they may resemble the creature in E.T. or startle us with their beauty - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-drake/other-intelligent-life-forms-will-differ-greatly-in-appearance-they/) [Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-drake/) > [Forty years as an astronomer have not quelled my enthusiasm for lying outside after dark, staring up at the stars. It isn't only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-drake/forty-years-as-an-astronomer-have-not-quelled-my-enthusiasm-for-lying/) [Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-drake/) > [It now appears that essentially every star has a planetary system. In the very beginning, we thought at best half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-drake/it-now-appears-that-essentially-every-star-has-a-planetary-system-in/) [Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-drake/) > [Only by doing the best we can with the very best that an era offers, do we find the way to do better in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-drake/only-by-doing-the-best-we-can-with-the-very-best-that-an-era-offers/) [Frank Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-drake/) > [We send messages all the time, free of charge. There's a big shell out there now, 80 light-years around us. 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