Good evening, stargazers! Today we're celebrating November 24th – a date that marks one of the most delightfully weird and scientifically significant discoveries in astronomical history!
On November 24th, 1974, humanity received what might be the most important cosmic "hello" we've ever sent out – the Arecibo Message was transmitted into space! Scientists at Cornell University, led by the legendary Carl Sagan and Frank Drake, took over the massive Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Puerto Rico and beamed a powerful signal toward the globular cluster M13, located about 25,000 light-years away.
Here's where it gets fun: this wasn't just any random signal. The message was a carefully constructed blueprint of humanity – literally! It contained 1,679 binary digits that, when arranged properly, formed a pictorial representation of our DNA structure, mathematical symbols, and even a crude map of our solar system. We essentially said to the universe, "Hey, here we are! We're made of DNA, we do math, and we live near this yellow star!"
The message traveled at light speed – the fastest speed anything can travel – yet it won't reach M13 for another 25,000 years. So somewhere around the year 27,000, our greeting card might finally arrive. Talk about playing the long game with cosmic pen pals!
**If you enjoyed learning about humanity's bold attempt at intergalactic communication, please subscribe to the Astronomy Tonight podcast! For more detailed information about tonight's skies and cosmic events, visit Quiet Please dot AI. Thank you for listening to another Quiet Please Production!**
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Episode Transcript
This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast. Good evening. Stargazers Today
was celebrating November twenty fourth, a date that marks one
of the most delightfully weird and scientifically significant discoveries in
astronomical history. On November twenty fourth, nineteen seventy four, humanity
received what might be the most important cosmic Hello we've
(00:20):
ever sent out. The Ireservo message was transmitted into space
scientists at Cornell University, led by the legendary Carl Sagan
and Frank Drake, took over the massive Orescibo Observatory radio
telescope in Puerto Rico and being the powerful signal toward
the globular cluster M thirteen, located about twenty five thousand
(00:42):
light years away. Here's where it gets fun. This wasn't
just any random signal. The message was a carefully constructed
blueprint of humanity. Literally, it contained one thousand, six hundred
and seventy nine binary digits that, when arranged properly, formed
a picial representation of our DNA structure, mathematical symbols, and
(01:04):
even a crude map of our solar system. We essentially
said to the universe, Hey, here we are. We're made
of DNA, we do math, and we live near this
yellow star. The message traveled at light speed, the fastest
speed anything can travel, Yet it won't reach M thirteen
for another twenty five thousand years, So somewhere around the
(01:25):
year twenty seven thousand, our greeting card might finally arrive.
Talk about playing the long game with cosmic pen pals.
If you enjoyed learning about humanity's bold attempt at intergalactic communication,
please subscribe to the Astronomy to Night podcast. For more
detailed information about tonight's skies and cosmic events, visit Quiet
(01:46):
Please dot ai. Thank you for listening to another Quiet
Please production
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.