The question of whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe has intrigued humanity for centuries.
As our technological capabilities advance, our quest to find an answer to this profound question intensifies.
Since the 1960s, there has been an ongoing scientific effort to detect signals from advanced civilizations.
The discovery of such signatures would provide compelling evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.
This is known as Active SETI or METI (Messaging to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence).
The messages were transmitted from the newly built Evpatoria Planetary Radar (EPR) complex in Crimea.
The message was sent in two parts.
Pioneer 10 was launched in 1972.
Pioneer 11 was launched in 1973, flew past Jupiter in 1974 and Saturn in 1979.
The probe lost all power and had to shutdown in 1995 and contact was lost.
At that time it approximately 111 AU away.
The spacecraft is now heading toward the constellation of Aquila.
It is expected to pass near one of the stars in the constellation in about 4 million years.
These records were intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form who may find them.
In addition, the record contains musical compositions of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many more.
The Voyager spacecraft with the Golden Record attached to its side.
Voyager 1 passed the orbit of Pluto in 1990, and left the Solar System in 2004.
The messages were transmitted multiple times.
The nearest star targeted is the Gliese 49 in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia.
It is 32 light years away from earth.
16 Cygni is known to contain an extrasolar planet.
The digital data included the logotype of TAM, written greetings in Russian and English, and artistic drawings.
This section and the concert program were composed by teens from different parts of Russia.
More than half a million people including celebrities and politicians participated in the AMFE project.
The message was sent using the RT-70 radar telescope of Ukraine’s State Space Agency.
The signal will reach the planet Gliese 581c in early 2029.
The transmission was rather a publicity stunt than a serious attempt to communicate with extra-terrestrial life.
The transmission data rate is also too high to allow for a remote radio station to faithfully receive.
Finally, the choice of Polaris also makes the message unlikely to reach any alien lifeform should they exist.
The signal is expected to reach the intended target around December 2029.
It had been speculated decades before that any technologically advanced civilizations will likely use this frequency for communication.
on a computer printout, leading to the signal’s moniker.
However, lack of funding caused the project to cease transmission.
The transmission was made towards Polaris.
The first two were transmitted to Polaris, a supergiant star 431 light-years away.
The debate over whether to contact extraterrestrials is a significant topic in space ethics and policy.
