Google Doodle marks 44 years since scientists sent Arecibo Message
The message intended for life beyond Earth was transmitted on this day in 1974.
Google’s latest Doodle has honoured the Arecibo Message which was sent 44-years ago as humankind’s first radio message in hope of discovering intelligent life beyond Earth.
The search engine’s Doodle illustration reflects the message, sent into space by scientists in 1974 with the aim of reaching a cluster of stars known as M13 situated 25,000 light years away.
From the Arecibo Observatory, the group transmitted a three-minute radio message, made up of 1,679 binary digits which could be arranged in a grid 73 rows by 23 columns to reveal basic information about humanity.
It also formed pictures representing a human being, a map of our solar system, a double helix of DNA and the Arecibo radio telescope.
So far, the message has travelled 259 trillion miles, leaving 146,965,638,531,210,240 or so miles to go, although scientists never expected it to reach its final destination. The actual aim was to demonstrate the capabilities of its recently upgraded radio telescope.
“It was a strictly symbolic event, to show that we could do it,” recalled Donald Campbell, Cornell University professor of astronomy, who witnessed the occasion.
