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Your Chance To Make Contact With Aliens
8.16.09 - Four years ago, about twenty light-years away, researchers discovered a place outside of our solar system where life could be possible, at least theoretically. Gliese 581 is a star that is smaller than our sun. Four planets orbit this sun – they are called Gliese 581 b, c, d and e.
In light of the Australia's National Science week the Australian science magazine COSMOS now collects messages from all over the world that will be send to the exoplanet Gliese 581 d.

This is your chance to make contact with potential aliens on the nearest known Earth-like planet.

What makes Gliese 581d special is that it's one of the best contenders for extraterrestrial life outside our Solar System, given that it is in the habitable zone of its star. Planets in this zone are just the right distance for liquid water to potentially exist.

Eight-times the size of Earth, it is classified as a 'super Earth', and is the "first serious waterworld candidate," according to one of its discoverers, Stephane Udry from the Geneva observatory in Switzerland.

COSMOS and the Australian Government, with support provided by Questacon, CSIRO and NASA, will be beaming the messages from the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, in Tidbinbilla, on Friday 28 August.

If you want to participate with your own message to the Aliens click here to get more information.

Everyone can participate worldwide and submit a message with a maximum of 160 characters. So far they have collected about 16,000. There is still time left for your personal message to the Aliens. The collection of messages will close on August 24th, 2009. Then the messages will be send and should arrive on planet Gliese d on December 2029.

This is not the first time humans send messages to potential intelligent life on other planets.

The first message was sent on November 16, 1974 with the Arecibo-Telescope in Puerto Rico to Messier 13 or M13 which is a globular cluster in the constellation of Hercules. M13 was discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714, and catalogued by Charles Messier on June 1, 1764. M13 is 25,100 light-years away from Earth that's why a potential answer of the aliens is only expected in year 47,574.


Arecibo-Telescope in Puerto Rico.


In 1972 Pioneer 10 was fitted with a plaque to serve as a message for extraterrestrial life, in the event of its discovery. The Pioneer plaque is out of gold anodized aluminum and was placed on board the spacecraft, featuring a pictorial message, in case Pioneer 10 is intercepted by aliens. The plaque shows the nude figures of a human male and female along with several symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft.


Pioneer Plaque


In 1977, NASA placed a more ambitious message aboard Voyager 1 and 2-a kind of time capsule, intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record-a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.


Voyager Golden Record


The big difference with the messages that the science magazine COSMOS is now collecting is that the messages are directly from YOU.

To learn more about space take our science class on Space Exploration.

Space Exploration

Space Kit

Price: $34.95

Become a Space Explorer


To learn more about space take our science class on Space Exploration.

The Perfect Beginner Experiment Kit!

Stepping into Science

Begin a lifetime of scientific investigation and understanding. Stepping into Science is designed for children 5 & up. It teaches science fundamentals through 25 hands-on science experiments, while at the same time introducing children to the concept and process of experimentation.

The science kit covers five key areas:

  • Nature
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Air
  • Water

The first kit in the Little Labs line - Stepping into Science teaches science fundamentals with step-by-step, hands-on experiments. The kit also includes a booklet with easy to follow instructions.

Order Now!

Price: only $34.95

Space Exploration

Space Kit

Price: $34.95

Become a Space Explorer


To learn more about space take our science class on Space Exploration.
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