Unveiling the Secrets of Our First Alien Contact Attempt
Originally Published 1 year ago — by National Geographic
In 1974, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico sent the first intentional interstellar message, known as the Arecibo Message, towards the Messier 13 star cluster, 25,000 light-years away. Created by astronomer Frank Drake with input from Carl Sagan, the message aimed to announce humanity's presence in the cosmos. Despite its symbolic nature and the slim chance of a response, the transmission sparked discussions on interstellar communication and the risks of contacting extraterrestrial life. The Arecibo Observatory, which collapsed in 2020, remains a significant part of humanity's quest to answer whether we are alone in the universe.