What would happen if we received a message from an extraterrestrial civilization? Artist-in-Residence Daniela de Paulis asks us to imagine this with her latest project, A Sign in Space. Green Bank Observatory is thrilled to be part of an international team of collaborators as we stage a live performance of this simulated First Contact.
Join us for a live broadcast to kick off the project this Wednesday, May 24th, starting at 2:15 PM EDT as the GBT will be one of 3 telescopes worldwide to receive the coded message from the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) in orbit around Mars. Our very own software engineer Victoria (Cat) Catlett will be co-hosting live from the Green Bank Telescope Control Room.
The coded message will be shared with the public for decoding and interpretation following the event. Anyone working to decode and interpret the message can discuss the process in the A Sign in Space Discord server. Submissions of findings, thoughts, and artistic and scientific inputs may be made through the dedicated submission form on the project’s website: https://asignin.space/decode-the-message/
Following the transmission, the A Sign in Space team will host a series of Zoom-based discussions open to the public around topics that consider the societal implications of detecting a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization. The discussions will take place over 6-8 weeks after the transmission. A list of events with registration links is here.
Learn More!
- Watch the trailer to hear more from De Paulis about the project.
- Meet Larry Morgan, GBO Astronomer and one of the science advisors for the project.
- Visit the project website for A Sign in Space
- View the Press Release
GBO Creative Writing and Visual Arts Contest
We are pleased to announce the winners of the Creative Writing and Visual Arts Contest we hosted in preparation for this event! View the Astronomer’s Choice Awards, which represent the winning submission for each category, and the Top Flight Finalists on the award announcement page.