Messages sent to a planet 20 Light years away

**Dreamhope11** · 11-15-2008 10:46 PM

October 9th 2008.Messages have been sent to a planet scientists believe is capable of supporting life, they were transmitted by a giant radio telescope in the Ukraine. 500 messages were formatted into binary, the message passed the moon in 1.7 seconds, passed mars in just 4 minutes and will arrive at the planet Gilese 581C in the year 2029.

**hungrymanz** · 11-15-2008 10:48 PM

They're going to send us back their favorite Star Trek quotes.

**Dreamhope11** · 11-15-2008 10:55 PM

Who? They don't know for sure life exists on that planet. And if there was life they better not. Sorry to disappoint you but i don't like startrek. I wonder were the messages are now! Must be miles away.

**drewmandan** · 11-16-2008 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by Dreamhope11

I wonder were the messages are now! Must be miles away.

Yeah, cuz light only goes about walking speed.

**GestaltAlteration** · 11-16-2008 12:25 AM

If, by the time I'm an old man and we receive a message back, that would be awesome. Or by some random chance the same message we sent bounces back to us and we think it's from extraterrestrials.

**Dreamhope11** · 11-16-2008 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by drewmandan

Yeah, cuz light only goes about walking speed.

Well the target planet is 120 trillion miles away! : O

**Bearsy** · 11-16-2008 10:50 AM

I believe he's commenting on your choice of words...

"miles away" makes it seem like it can only move at a relatively normal(human-esque) speed.

That, coupled with the fact that you said it passed the moon in 1.7 seconds and Mars in 4 minutes... of course it's miles away.

**Dreamhope11** · 11-16-2008 01:59 PM

Ooops well you know what i mean...

**wendylove** · 11-16-2008 02:47 PM

Ooops well you know what i mean...

That you know nothing about physics.

You should have used light days, i.e. it will be light days away.

**Dreamhope11** · 11-16-2008 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by wendylove

That you know nothing about physics.

You should have used light days, i.e. it will be light days away.

No i don't think i should of used light days, take it up with BBC news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7660449.stm

Messages have been sent to a planet 20 light years from Earth in the hope they will reach intelligent alien life.

Having been translated into a binary format, the 500 selected will travel 120 trillion miles into space after being sent via high-powered radio waves from the National Space Agency of Ukraine's RT-70 radar telescope in Evpatoria.

**juroara** · 11-16-2008 05:29 PM

I just think as human beings its so ridiculous to assume that all intelligent life in the universe must have, or will in some point in their future, without a doubt use radio. get real!

there could be an advanced intelligent alien race out there that not once have they ever used radio to communicate. maybe they never needed it. who knows. maybe theyre telepathic!

what else are we going to naively assume? they watch tv?

it just seems like such a big waste of money over an assumption of how intelligent life must develop

**drewmandan** · 11-16-2008 06:03 PM

How is it a waste of money? Sending a strong signal probably only takes about $5 worth of electricity, if not less.

**wendylove** · 11-16-2008 08:48 PM

No i don't think i should of used light days, take it up with BBC news.

Sorry, but I don't base my knowledge on BBC news.

what else are we going to naively assume? they watch tv?

I don't know, they would work from the assumption that another race would try to contact us, and that the only logical way of doing so would be through radio waves.

it just seems like such a big waste of money over an assumption of how intelligent life must develop

Seriously, the US just wasted billions bailing out the bankers, and yet you're moaning about some few dollars spent on sending out radio waves.

**drewmandan** · 11-16-2008 09:11 PM

Frankly, I'm surprised messages aren't sent out on a regular basis. If I ever accumulate a few million dollars (which is really all it would take), I would construct a transmitter and start sending out signals. It would probably only take a few days to cycle through all the stars within 100 lightyears of Earth, depending on how long you broadcast to each star.

For a few billion, it would be possible to cycle through all the stars within about a 500 ly radius every few years, spending a minute or two on each star.

**legit** · 11-16-2008 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by drewmandan

Frankly, I'm surprised messages aren't sent out on a regular basis. If I ever accumulate a few million dollars (which is really all it would take), I would construct a transmitter and start sending out signals. It would probably only take a few days to cycle through all the stars within 100 lightyears of Earth, depending on how long you broadcast to each star.

For a few billion, it would be possible to cycle through all the stars within about a 500 ly radius every few years, spending a minute or two on each star.

500 light years in a few years? Its taking until 2029 to send the signal just 20 light years away, and another 21 years to receive the response, if there is one.

**ExoByte** · 11-16-2008 10:24 PM

No. It takes a few minutes to SEND the signal. How long it takes to get to its destination is another story.

**drewmandan** · 11-16-2008 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by BaKo

500 light years in a few years? Its taking until 2029 to send the signal just 20 light years away, and another 21 years to receive the response, if there is one.

Once the signals are sent, they don't need to be on for the next 500 years, you moron.

**Umbrasquall** · 11-17-2008 10:04 PM

Except I think that money could be better spent doing research or even terraforming Mars. The chance that any results will come from randomly sending out signals is small. Smaller if you care for it to come about during your lifetime.

**hungrymanz** · 11-17-2008 10:08 PM

I bet some college students couldn't think of a better term project than sending signals to a planet. That's all.

**drewmandan** · 11-17-2008 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Umbrasquall

Except I think that money could be better spent doing research or even terraforming Mars. The chance that any results will come from randomly sending out signals is small. Smaller if you care for it to come about during your lifetime.

Sending out signals: small chance of success, almost zero money spent
Terraforming Mars: small chance of success, could bankrupt entire countries

**Jeff777** · 11-18-2008 01:09 AM

Anyone notice that DreamHope created another nonsensical thread, spouting off another round of unsourced material? Sources or it didn't happen.

**Black_Eagle** · 11-18-2008 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by Jeff777

Anyone notice that DreamHope created another nonsensical thread, spouting off another round of unsourced material? Sources or it didn't happen.

He gave a source already.

I don't even understand what's so great about this. I'll be impressed when I get a backyard full of miniature mammoths that the government has been hiding from me for the last 50 years.