SETI watched a pulsar flicker for months and found space keeps shifting

SETI Institute researchers monitored pulsar PSR J0332+5434 for nearly a year using the Allen Telescope Array, tracking how its radio signals "twinkle" as they pass through interstellar gas clouds. The team observed that this scintillation effect changes over time as the pulsar, gas, and Earth move relative to each other, with patterns varying over days to months and following roughly 200-day cycles. These findings help astronomers make precise timing corrections for pulsar observations and assist SETI researchers in distinguishing cosmic signals from radio interference.