‘E.T.’ IS SENDING SIGNALS

Star-beam mystery

E.T.’s “phone home” may finally be answered.

Astronomers believe strange signals emanating from a cluster of stars are from aliens trying to tell the universe they exist.

Their study, which appears in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, analyzed the unusual beams of light from 234 stars — a fraction of the 2.5 million that were observed.

The beacons led the study’s authors, Ermanno F. Borra and Eric Trottier from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada, to conclude that the “signals” are “probably” from aliens.

“We find that the detected signals have exactly the shape of an [extraterrestrial intelligence] signal predicted in the previous publication and are, therefore, in agreement with this hypothesis,” Borra and Trottier wrote.

They also note that their findings align with the Extraterrestrial Intelligence (ETI) hypothesis, since the mysterious activity occurred in only a tiny fraction of stars.

The hypothesis also suggests that intelligent life would use a more sophisticated optical beacon than, say, radio waves to reveal its existence.

The researchers sifted through data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey — an 8-foot diameter telescope in Sunspot, NM — to separate natural signals from ones that appeared generated.

There is plenty of skepticism about whether the signals are coming from life forms such as Steven Spielberg’s alien in 1982’s “E.T.”

Even the authors have reservations. For starters, the data must be verified by at least two other telescopes, and all natural causes need to be ruled out.

“Although unlikely,” the study notes, “there is also a possibility that the signals are due to highly peculiar chemical compositions in a small fraction of galactic halo stars.”

Breakthrough Listen — a $100 million global effort to hunt for alien life, backed by Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg — says the signals are worth more research, but warns not to get too excited.

“It is too early to unequivocally attribute these purported signals to the activities of extraterrestrial civilizations,” the organization said in a statement. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”