A group of folks doesn't want to wait by the phone anymore and has decided to get together on a project to send specific messages to a nearby star.
They'll use a special antenna to send out signals more focused and more powerful than the random signals we have more or less strewn throughout the galaxy since Mr. Marconi made his little wireless set. They'll be sent in the direction of the red dwarf star Gliese 526, about 17 and half light-years from us. Although no planets have yet been found orbiting Gliese 526, there's nothing that says they can't and if it does, they have a wider habitable zone in which to exist than some other nearby stars.
The project, called Lone Signal, will go live on June 17. Because of the distance between us and Gliese 526, the transmission will arrive sometime in December 2030 or January 2031. The project team is soliciting messages for transmission. I am torn between the idea of demonstrating we are a kooky fun kind of species by sending the message, "Look ou...!" or offering up a much-needed apology for The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which began airing about 17 years ago.
But on the other hand, we should probably be apologizing to the universe as a whole for that particular misstep, so I vote we go kooky.
No comments:
Post a Comment