Website messages to ET marks opening of Australia’s National Science Week

17 Aug 2009

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A website that allows people to beam messages to an earth-like planet has been set up to mark the opening of the National Science Week on 15 August. The messages which will be no longer than 160 characters will be beamed via satellites at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.

The messages are being targeted at Gliese 581 d, a planet eight times heavier than the earth located more than 20 light years away in the constellation of Libra. Since the planet resembles our own in some ways, scientists believe it may perhaps support life.

But inter-galactic messaging is clearly going to be a patience game considering the messages will take 20 years to reach some one 'out there' if they exist in the first place. A response therefore cannot be guaranteed warns the team behind the HelloFromEarth website.

The project has proved to be immensely popular already, with the website receiving 26,000 hits in the first five minutes - crashing the system for a short time.

According to Da Silva, what is interesting is not just whether there is anyone listening but what the public will say to intelligent life on another planet.

He added that project was a way of showing that science can make the impossible possible. Man has been to the moon and now he can speak to the stars.

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