If there is anyone out there astronomers are one step closer to finding them. A new array of 42 radio dishes designed to search for ETs has been unveiled. Eventually the Allen Telescope Array will boast a whopping 350 dishes.

Half of the $50 million tab for the new alien finder has been picked up by Microsoft founder Paul Allen. “It’s the longshot of longshots, but if we did hear a signal from another civilization, that would be world-changing,” said the deep-pocketed philanthropist (Seattle Times). It’s nice to see it the array has progressed since last year’s funding row, when Allen held back millions because other donors had not been found (Nature – subscription required).

This is apparently the first time a radio telescope has been put together with the express purpose of finding aliens, be they green or otherwise. “It’s like cutting the ribbon on the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria,” astronomer Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute told the NY Times. However the Allen array will not just be looking for aliens, it will also help out understanding of supernovas, black holes and “exotic astronomical objects that are predicted but not yet observed”, according to UC Berkeley, which is running the array along with the SETI Institute (press release, video of dishes).

The multi-dish array represents the future of radio astronomy, stepping away from visually impressive but quickly outdated massive dishes such as the threatened Arecibo dish in Puerto Rico (which may just have been thrown a lifeline).

Perhaps rashly Shostak has predicted that signals from intelligent civilizations will be found by 2025. We’ll bring you an update then.

Image: Seth Shostak / SETI Institute