Posted by The SETI Institute has expanded its global search for optical technosignatures with the installation of two new LaserSETI stations at AlUla Manara in northwest Saudi Arabia. The site is now fully operational and becomes LaserSETI’s first observing location in Asia and its fifth worldwide, joining existing stations in California, Hawai‘i, Arizona, and Puerto Rico.
LaserSETI is designed to search continuously for extremely brief flashes of visible light. Such flashes could originate from transient astronomical events, unusual natural phenomena, or potentially powerful laser technology produced by an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Unlike conventional telescopes, which typically concentrate on one target or a relatively small area of sky, LaserSETI uses wide-field cameras and diffraction gratings to monitor large regions simultaneously. The approach is especially relevant to SETI because lasers could theoretically serve as efficient tools for interstellar communication or even spacecraft propulsion. A sufficiently powerful laser might therefore produce a detectable optical technosignature. LaserSETI attempts to catch these short-lived signals by watching the sky continuously rather than observing individual stars only during scheduled sessions.
The two Saudi Arabian stations were installed at the AlUla Manara ASM Site on August 19, 2026. AlUla’s protected dark skies provide favorable conditions for identifying faint optical events, while its geographic position significantly improves the network’s coverage. Distributing instruments across different continents also allows researchers to compare simultaneous detections from multiple locations and better distinguish genuine astronomical signals from local interference.
The deployment is part of a broader partnership between the SETI Institute and the Royal Commission for AlUla, first announced in 2024. The collaboration includes astronomy research, technological development, education, public outreach, and support for the growing AlUla Manara Observatory program. The SETI Institute and RCU will jointly operate and maintain the new stations for three years.
For LaserSETI, the Saudi Arabian expansion represents another step toward its long-term goal of creating a truly global optical observatory. As more stations are added around the world, the network should be able to monitor larger portions of the night sky for longer periods, improving the chances of catching rare transient events – including possible evidence of technology beyond Earth.
For more details, read the full article by SETI Institute.
