BLC1 Signal (Breakthrough Listen - 2020)

The BLC1 signal, detected in 2020 by Breakthrough Listen's Parkes Telescope, represented the most promising candidate for extraterrestrial technology to date. This narrowband radio emission, originating from our closest stellar neighbor Proxima Centauri (4.2 light-years away), matched expected technosignature characteristics with its 982 MHz frequency and drift rate. Though later likely attributed to human-made interference, BLC1's initial detection excited astronomers as it came from a star system with known exoplanets. Its careful analysis demonstrated modern SETI protocols, proving we can distinguish potential alien signals from terrestrial noise in this new era of technosignature research.