Scientists have been deliberately sending radio messages into space since the 1960s. The first of these messages was the ‘Morse Message’ sent in 1962. But not every signal sent provides information about humanity to potential beings.
Of course, apart from these direct messages to possible extraterrestrial life, all the radio signals we have created since the first radio broadcast continue their journey in space. So when we’ve sent so many radio signals, when can we get the first return? The answer to this question has been given by a new study.
The first return message could reach Earth in 2029 at the earliest:
- The Soviet planetary radar that sent the first message into space, Pluto.
New research, published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, revealed that a possible return from aliens could be received in 2029 at the earliest. It was noted that the first return could be a response to radio messages sent to the Pioneer 10 spacecraft.
Of course, scientific calculations were behind this answer. Radio messages sent to Pioneer 10 passed by a white dwarf 27 million light-years from Earth in 2002. The response was given according to the time it took for a message sent from this system or other celestial bodies on the way to reach Earth.
Other possible return messages were those sent to the Voyager 2 vehicle in 1980 and 1983, which passed near two different stars in 2007. It has been calculated that the closest return to these messages will reach Earth in 2030.
There is also the possibility that we may not be able to detect them even though the feedback has been sent:
Although beings in space have sent us a return signal in some way, there is a possibility that we may not be able to detect these messages, according to astronomer Macy Huston. Our detection of messages will depend on many factors, notably our existing technology and how strong the return signal is.
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