List of interstellar radio messages

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This is a list of interstellar radio messages (IRMs) transmitted from Earth.

Contents

Classification of interstellar radio messages

There are twelve realized IRM projects:

The 1986 Poetica Vaginal signal, briefly transmitted from the MIT Millstone Radar, was an techno-art project created by Joe Davis who was concerned about government censorship of messages such as the removal of genatilia on the voyager probe record. His response was to utilize a sensitive instrument to record the contractions of a woman's vaginal canal, convert it into analog signal and digitally map the input into a phoenetic audible representation (or voice). [2] The project was able to send out a few "test signals" consisting of this data to the intended targets; however, the US Air Force shutdown the project before it sent out the bulk of the message. [2]

"Across the Universe", "Hello From Earth" and "A Simple Response to an Elemental Message" are not always considered serious. The first two of them were sent to Polaris, which is 431 light years distant from us and whose planetary system, even if it exists, may not be suited for life, because it is a supergiant star, spectral type F7Ib which is only 70 million years old. [7] In addition, both transmission rates were very high, about 128 kbit/s, for such moderate transmitter power (about 18 kW). The main defect of the "Hello From Earth" is an insufficient scientific and technical justification, since no famous SETI scientist made statements with validation of HFE's design. As it follows from : "After the final message was collected on Monday 24 August 2009, messages were exported as a text file and sent to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where they were encoded into binary, packaged and tested before transmission", but nobody explained why he hopes that such encoded and packaged text will be understood and conceived by possible extraterrestrials.

Some use the term Active SETI Project, but Alexander Zaitsev, who was a scientific head of composing and transmissions of Cosmic Call 1999 & 2003, and Teen Age Message 2001, and a scientific consultant of A Message From Earth, emphasized that he considers above IRMs as the METI ( Messaging to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence Projects).

These seven messages have targeted stars between 20 and 69 light-years from the Earth. The exception is the Arecibo message, which targeted globular cluster M13, approximately 24,000 light-years away. The first message to reach its destination will be A Message From Earth, which should reach the Gliese 581 planetary system in Libra in 2029.

On 13 February 2015, scientists (including Geoffrey Marcy, Seth Shostak, Frank Drake, David Grinspoon and David Brin) at a convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, discussed Active SETI and whether transmitting a message to possible intelligent extraterrestrials in the Cosmos was a good idea; [8] [9] one result was a statement, (which was not signed by Seth Shostak or Frank Drake), that a "worldwide scientific, political and humanitarian discussion must occur before any message is sent". [10]

Current transmissions en route

Stars to which messages were sent include:

StarDesignationConstellationDate sentArrival dateMessage
Messier 13 NGC 6205 Hercules November 16, 197425974 approx. Arecibo message
Epsilon Eridani HD 22049 Eridanus 1986UnknownPoetica Vaginal
Tau Ceti HD 10700 Cetus 1986Unknown
16 Cyg A HD 186408 Cygnus May 24, 19992069, November Cosmic Call 1
15 Sge HD 190406 Sagitta June 30, 19992057, February
 ? HD 178428 Sagitta June 30, 19992067, October
Gl 777 HD 190360 Cygnus July 1, 19992051, April
 ? HD 197076 Delphinus August 29, 20012070, February Teen Age Message
47 UMa HD 95128 Ursa Major September 3, 20012047, July
37 Gem HD 50692 Gemini September 3, 20012057, December
 ? HD 126053 Virgo September 3, 20012059, January
 ? HD 76151 Hydra September 4, 20012057, May
 ? HD 193664 Draco September 4, 20012059, January
 ? HIP 4872 Cassiopeia July 6, 20032036, April Cosmic Call 2
 ? HD 245409 Orion July 6, 20032040, August
55 Cnc HD 75732 Cancer July 6, 20032044, May
 ? HD 10307 Andromeda July 6, 20032044, September
47 UMa HD 95128 Ursa Major July 6, 20032049, May
Polaris HIP 11767 Ursa Minor February 4, 20082439 Across the Universe
Gliese 581 HIP 74995 Libra October 9, 20082029 A Message From Earth
Gliese 581 HIP 74995 Libra August 28, 20092030 Hello From Earth
Polaris HIP 11767 Ursa Minor October 10, 20162450 A Simple Response to an Elemental Message
Luyten's Star HIP 36208 Canis Minor October 16-18, 2017;
May 14-16, 2018		2030, March Sónar Calling GJ273b

Along with serious IRM projects, a number of pseudo-METI [11] projects also exist:

Related Research Articles

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The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other planets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Drake</span> American astronomer and astrophysicist (1930–2022)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wow! signal</span> 1977 narrowband radio signal from SETI

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teen Age Message</span> Series of interstellar radio transmissions

The Teen Age Message (TAM) was a series of interstellar radio transmissions sent from the Yevpatoria Planetary Radar to six solar-type stars during August–September 2001. The structure of the TAM was suggested by Alexander Zaitsev, Chief Scientist at Russia's Institute of Radio-engineering and Electronics. The message's content and target stars were selected by a group of teens from four Russian cities, who collaborated in person and via the Internet. Each transmission comprised three sections: a sounding, a live theremin concert, and digital data including images and text. TAM was humanity's fourth Active SETI broadcast and the first musical interstellar radio message.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gliese 581c</span> Super-Earth exoplanet orbiting Gliese 581

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Active SETI is the attempt to send messages to intelligent extraterrestrial life. Active SETI messages are predominantly sent in the form of radio signals. Physical messages like that of the Pioneer plaque may also be considered an active SETI message. Active SETI is also known as METI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmic Call</span> Interstellar radio messages sent to nearby stars in 1999 and 2003

Cosmic Call was the name of two sets of interstellar radio messages that were sent from RT-70 in Yevpatoria, Ukraine in 1999 and 2003 to various nearby stars. The messages were designed with noise-resistant format and characters.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Signal</span> Crowdfunded project to send interstellar communications to extraterrestrials

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Simple Response to an Elemental Message</span>

A Simple Response to an Elemental Message (ASREM) was an Interstellar Radio Message (IRM) consisting primarily of 3775 worldwide responses to this initiative's posed question; "How will our present, environmental interactions shape the future?" This transmission also features a smaller 'Honorary Mention' text archive and a series of images of Earth.

METI International, known simply as METI, is a non-profit research organization founded in July 2015 by Douglas Vakoch that creates and transmits interstellar messages to attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations. It is based in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Vakoch</span> American pro-contact astrobiologist (born 1961)

Douglas A. Vakoch is an American astrobiologist, search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) researcher, psychologist, and president of METI International, a nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to transmitting intentional signals to extraterrestrial civilizations. Vakoch led METI's participation in Sónar Calling GJ 273b, which transmitted a series of interstellar messages to Luyten's Star, located 12.4 light years from Earth. Vakoch advocates ongoing transmission projects, arguing that this does not increase risks of an alien invasion as suggested by British cosmologist Stephen Hawking. He has participated in several SETI observation programs, and after sixteen years at the SETI Institute, where he was director of Interstellar Message Composition, Vakoch founded METI International. He has edited over a dozen books in SETI, astrobiology, the psychology of space exploration, and ecocriticism. He is general editor of two-book series in ecocriticism and in the intersection of space and society. Vakoch has appeared widely on television and radio as a commentator on SETI and astrobiology. He is an emeritus professor of clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of extraterrestrial life</span> Overview of and topical guide to extraterrestrial life

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to extraterrestrial life:

References

  1. ↑ An Awkward History of Our Space Transmissions
  2. 1 2 3 "BIOMEDIALE". web.archive.org. 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  3. ↑ Reply To 'WOW! Signal' Gets Beamed Into Space
  4. ↑ "A Simple Response". European Space Agency official website. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "How to send a message to another planet". The Economist . 16 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Sónar Calling GJ 273b". Sónar Calling. Sónar Music Festival. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Wielen, R.; Jahreiß, H.; Dettbarn, C.; Lenhardt, H.; Schwan, H. (2000). "Polaris: Astrometric orbit, position, and proper motion". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 360: 399. arXiv: astro-ph/0002406 . Bibcode:2000A&A...360..399W.
  8. ↑ Borenstein, Seth (of AP News) (13 February 2015). "Should We Call the Cosmos Seeking ET? Or Is That Risky?". New York Times . Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Ghosh, Pallab (12 February 2015). "Scientist: 'Try to contact aliens'". BBC News . Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Various (13 February 2015). "Statement - Regarding Messaging To Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) / Active Searches For Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Active SETI)". University of California, Berkeley . Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Cooper, Keith (2010-05-03), SETI: Cosmic Call, Astronomy Now, archived from the original on 2015-05-26, retrieved 2010-05-05
  12. ↑ Gibbs, W. Wayt (2001), "Art as a Form of Life", Scientific American , 284 (4): 40–41, Bibcode:2001SciAm.284d..40G, doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0401-40
  13. ↑ Deep Space Network Frequently Asked Questions, Deep Space Communications Network, archived from the original on 2010-01-04
  14. ↑ List in Space: Calling the Cosmos Gets Commercial, Space_com, 23 March 2005
  15. ↑ Connecting with the Cosmos, CNES, 2006-01-26, archived from the original on 2010-05-13
  16. ↑ Doritos Makes History With World's First ET Advert, Spacedaily.com, 2008-06-13
  17. ↑ Chandler, David L. (2009-11-24), ET: Check your voicemail, MIT News
  18. ↑ Harris, Mark (2009-09-16), Is Sent Forever the worst Apollo 11 tie-in?, TechRadar, archived from the original on 2010-03-02
  19. ↑ Colvile, Robert (2010-02-09), Calling ET: Your chance to send a message to alien life, The Daily Telegraph, archived from the original on 2010-02-11
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