The Morse Message

In 1962, humanity’s inaugural radio transmission aimed at extraterrestrial life is widely recognized as the Morse Message. This transmission was executed by the Evpatoria Planetary Radar located in Crimea and directed towards Venus. The message was succinct, comprising just three words: "Mir" (peace in Russian), "Lenin," and "SSSR" (the Soviet Union's abbreviation). The radio signal operated at a central frequency of 769 MHz, utilizing frequency shifts of 62.5 Hz to encode the Morse code's dots and dashes.

Although the primary purpose of this transmission was to test the radar, it unfortunately did not establish contact with any alien entities on Venus. Nevertheless, the signal was reflected off Venus and is presently en route to the star HD-131336 in the Libra constellation.

The Arecibo Message

In the 1970s, the United States undertook several METI efforts. NASA enlisted astronomers Frank Drake and Carl Sagan to create messages meant for any intelligent beings that might encounter them. These messages were designed to reflect humanity's diversity and to be easily understood by entities unfamiliar with human languages. Drake and Sagan developed physical artifacts, such as the Pioneer Plaques and the Golden Records, which were launched into interstellar space.

In tandem with these tangible messages, Drake and Sagan also contributed to the Arecibo Message. The Arecibo Radio Telescope, which transmitted this message, was a 305-meter-wide dish set in a natural sinkhole in Puerto Rico. Upon its completion in 1963, it became the largest single-aperture radio telescope in the world.

In 1974, the Arecibo Message was sent into space during the telescope's reopening, serving as a publicity stunt. This message is arguably the most renowned METI attempt by humanity.

The Arecibo Message transmitted a 2380 MHz signal that varied at specific intervals to distinguish it from natural astrophysical signals. Any advanced extraterrestrial society detecting it would recognize it as an artificial signal emanating from a technologically capable species.

The message itself was constructed to include 1679 intervals, a semi-prime number derived from the multiplication of two primes: 23 and 73. This encoding enabled the signal to be arranged in a grid of 73 rows and 23 columns to depict images.

The message commenced by presenting the numbers 1 through 10 in binary, serving as a foundational reference for decoding the rest of the information. It then listed the atomic numbers for hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus — the essential elements of DNA.

Continuing, the message illustrated DNA structure, showcasing deoxyribose and phosphate molecules at the edges, with the four bases of DNA — adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine, also referred to as "ACTG" — placed between them.

The depiction of the DNA double helix included a binary representation of 4.3 billion, which indicated the estimated number of base pairs in the human genome at that time.

The message further illustrated a human figure alongside indicators of the average height of adult males in the U.S. and the global population. It concluded with a representation of our Solar System, assigning pixel values to each celestial body based on their relative sizes, highlighting Earth's significance by placing it one pixel higher than the other planets.

Ultimately, the Arecibo Message was directed toward the M13 star cluster, which is not the most promising site for life, as it likely lacks many habitable exoplanets. The transmission would take approximately 25,000 years to reach the star cluster, but by then, the cluster would have likely shifted, rendering the message more symbolic than practical.

The first video titled "Alien Contact: What Happens Next?" delves into the implications of humanity's attempts to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations and the potential outcomes of such interactions.

A Response to the "Wow!" Signal

In 2012, the Arecibo telescope was utilized once more to send a message in response to the "Wow!" Signal. In 1977, astronomer Jerry Ehman discovered a strong narrowband radio signal using the Big Ear Radio Telescope, which he famously labeled with "Wow!" after being captivated by its intensity.

This signal, peaking at around 1.45 GHz and lasting a full 72 seconds, originated from the Sagittarius constellation. Despite numerous attempts to locate its source, the origin of the "Wow!" Signal remains a mystery and is often viewed as the strongest evidence of a potential alien radio signal ever recorded.

On the 35th anniversary of this discovery, a collaborative effort with National Geographic’s "Chasing UFOs" series aimed to send a reply. They crowdsourced contributions from viewers via Twitter, gathering over 20,000 tweets that reflected what it means to be human, encapsulated in the message: "We're human, and we're here."

The second video titled "The Arecibo Message Decoded" offers insights into the intricacies and content of the Arecibo Message, elaborating on its significance and the science behind it.

Instead of directing the response toward Sagittarius, the Arecibo telescope sent the message to three Sun-like stars that happened to be in alignment that day. One of these stars is known to host a planetary system.

METI International

These METI initiatives have incited considerable scientific discussion. Advocates argue that communication with other technologically advanced civilizations could foster knowledge exchange and alleviate cosmic loneliness. Conversely, critics caution against such endeavors, arguing that revealing our existence could expose humanity to unknown dangers from potentially hostile civilizations.

Despite these concerns, METI International, established in 2015, continues to pursue these communication efforts. This nonprofit organization is comprised mainly of global academics from diverse fields such as astronomy, linguistics, and sociology. They focus on designing and transmitting interstellar messages aimed at stars with habitable planets.

In 2017, METI International sent a radio message to Luyten's star, which is approximately 12.2 light-years from Earth and hosts a confirmed exoplanet believed to be Earth-like. This message, broadcasted during the Sonar Music Festival, included musical compositions and fundamental concepts of math and science, intending to demonstrate our intelligence.

The message was repeated over three consecutive days to ensure that any potential extraterrestrial observers would recognize its validity. A response could potentially arrive from them as early as 2042.

What are your thoughts on humanity's endeavors to connect with extraterrestrial life? Do you believe that reaching out is prudent? Share your perspective with us!

If you enjoyed this article, check out these related topics:

• The Fermi Paradox: Where Are All the Aliens?
• 3 Reasons Why Aliens Wouldn't Visit Earth, Even If They Could
• 3 Times in History When Scientists Thought We Made Contact With Aliens

Citations:

• "'MIR, LENIN, SSSR.'" Mir, Lenin, SSSR, http://www.cplire.ru/html/ra&sr/irm/MIR-LENIN-SSSR.html.
• "The 'Wow!' Signal." Ohio State University Radio Observatory — The Wow! Signal, http://www.bigear.org/wow.htm.