# "Cosmic Call to Send Earthly Message to Five Stars" = BAD IDEA **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 5, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmic-call-to-send-earthly-message-to-five-stars-bad-idea/186403 "2003-07-05T17:26:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmic-call-to-send-earthly-message-to-five-stars-bad-idea/186403/21 "2003-07-06T08:04:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\*According to the organization’s [Web site](http://www.teamencounter.com/missions/destination.asp), they are sending signals to stars in five constellations, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Orion, the Big Dipper (technically an asterism, not a constellation), and Cancer. Unfotunately, the organizers have not specified the exact stars they are beaming to, so I can’t tell how far off they are. \*\* I don’t know which stars they are sending to either, but if they want an answer they are wasting their time sending to Betelgeuse or Rigel; close sunlike stars exist at Pi 3 Orionis Eta Cassiopeia Rho Cancris 47 Ursa Majoris and Upsilon Andromedae most of which have planets already confirmed. So I would bet on these stars myself. you can expect an answer in 50 years , if any. * * * SF worldbuilding at [http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html) ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmic-call-to-send-earthly-message-to-five-stars-bad-idea/186403/22 "2003-07-06T22:06:13Z")
In a funnier world we’d get a message back that said “You can’t run your own planet, don’t even think about fucking ours up.” ---
**Author:** ![Inoshiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@Inoshiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inoshiro)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmic-call-to-send-earthly-message-to-five-stars-bad-idea/186403/23 "2003-07-07T00:56:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Riboflavin \* > \*\*Actually, we haven’t really been broadcasting that much that would be detectable at long ranges. Some of the narrowband transmissions like high-powered radar would be detectable at long ranges, but don’t neccesarily give much information. If you take a look at the sci.astro FAQ at [http://sciastro.astronomy.net/sci.astro.6.FAQ](http://sciastro.astronomy.net/sci.astro.6.FAQ), they go into detailed calculations of how far away various signals can be detected. \*\* Guess that quote answers the question in the [UFO thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=194946). I already suspected it. So no hot alien porn for us. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cosmic-call-to-send-earthly-message-to-five-stars-bad-idea/186403.md?page=1)