Jan

Scientists eagerly anticipate a response from extraterrestrials to radio signals sent into space four decades ago. In 1983, Japanese astronomers Masaki Morimoto and Hisashi Hirabayashi transmitted a radio message toward Altair, a star 16.7 light years away, using a Stanford University telescope. This message aimed to showcase Earth's appearance to potential alien observers. Now, a team from the University of Hyogo is positioned in the city of Saku, employing a vast radio telescope, hoping to receive a reply from any planets orbiting Altair. Today, August 22, is considered the most likely date for a response, although the team's expectations of receiving one remain uncertain. The original transmission, representing 13 drawings depicting the evolution of life on Earth, was sent from Stanford on August 15, 1983. This signal included images of unicellular organisms, fish, a lizard, an ape, a human family, and even the word 'toast.' After four decades, Shinya Narusawa and his team at the University of Hyogo are using a massive 200-foot antenna at the Usuda Deep Space Center in Saku to detect a response. The choice of August 22 for this event is based on the traditional Japanese lunisolar calendar, as Altair might possess a planet suitable for sustaining life. Altair, situated in the constellation of Aquila, remains one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Although there are no confirmed planets orbiting it, the researchers remain hopeful for a response indicating the existence of an extraterrestrial world. The original message, conceived during a "drunken" idea by Morimoto and Hirabayashi, was initially expected to receive a reply by 2015, but none came. Hirabayashi, at one point, believed that aliens from the Altair star system might have received the message in 1999 and sent a response back to Earth.