Aug 12 2009
Hello from Earth: send your message to the stars!
By Kate Hennessy
It’s in what’s called “the habitable zone” and astronomers believe it’s a candidate for life.
A planet called Gliese 581 d. Eight times the size of Earth, 20 light years away and innocently orbiting its host star whilst messages from Earth (and from YOU!) zoom towards it.
Yes, that’s right. If you’re one of those folk who’ve always yearned to communicate with ETs – here’s your chance. Hello from Earth launches this morning, giving you 160 characters to sculpt your own personal communique to a planet where alien life is possible.
Messages will be collected via the Hello from Earth website until 5pm on August 24 as part of National Science Week, then beamed from the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla.
Since Gliese 581 d is 20 light years away, messages will arrive by around 2029. The first message to be transmitted will be from Senator Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
Senator Carr, who admits he was fascinated with the stars as a child, will say in his message …
