# "We Are Here" beacon for aliens **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914 "2011-10-07T17:04:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/1 "2011-10-07T17:04:48Z")
I didn’t want to derail [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=627026) on an “Alien view of Earth”, so here we are. If mankind decided to announce our presence in the “loudest” way possible, what current or conceivable future technology could we employ that would send out a bright, omni-directional\* signal to announce our presence. Sort of like the book/movie **Contact,** in reverse. Also, any ideas on what “message” to encode in the signal to ensure anything out there that might be picking up our broadcast would almost immediately be certain it’s artificial? \*Or unidirectional, if we find an exoplanet that appears to have life. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/2 "2011-10-07T17:49:38Z")
Sorry to be the first responder with this but I just jumped in here to see why we had bacon for aliens. Then I saw my mistake. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/3 "2011-10-07T18:00:26Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Sorry to be the first responder with this but I just jumped in here to see why we had bacon for aliens. Then I saw my mistake. 🙂 Bacon is a universal good. Anyway to beam smell into the cosmos? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/4 "2011-10-07T18:02:17Z")
Our radio signals are already doing that. I’m not sure what good it would do to amp up the wattage. (Or watt up the ampage.) The signal is still going to be really weak by the time it gets to receptive ears. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/5 "2011-10-07T18:07:13Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Our radio signals are already doing that. I’m not sure what good it would do to amp up the wattage. (Or watt up the ampage.) The signal is still going to be really weak by the time it gets to receptive ears. Right. Another thing, they’re out there by happenstance. I’m thinking of a _dedicated_ technology designed for the sole purpose to shine a floodlight across the local galaxy to anyone who might be taking a gander at our pinprick of a star. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/6 "2011-10-07T18:09:09Z")
We’re already doing it. I’ve read several short stories based on aliens arriving because they tracked back TV signals and all they knew about us was from I Love Lucy re-runs, or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/7 "2011-10-07T18:12:39Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Right. Another thing, they’re out there by happenstance. I’m thinking of a _dedicated_ technology designed for the sole purpose to shine a floodlight across the local galaxy to anyone who might be taking a gander at our pinprick of a star. One problem is we don’t know what part of the sky to concentrate on, and sending out signals in all directions would take a prohibitive amount of power. And to be more sure that the signals are doing useful work, we’d have to keep broadcasting for a long time, increasing the cost even more. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/8 "2011-10-07T18:15:26Z")
I do very much like the idea of sending out signals in bursts of prime numbers or the fibonacci series or something. Sagan has a great idea with that. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/9 "2011-10-07T18:21:06Z")
Another thought, from Larry Niven, with respect to frequency: > [@Ringworld](#): > > “Many species have used the cold hydrogen line to search for other minds circling other stars.” > …Interstellar radio is noisy with the sound of the stars. But the twenty-one centimeter band is conveniently silent, swept clean for use by endless cubic light years of cold interstellar hydrogen. It was the line any species would pick to communicate with an alien race. I never really understood how that would work, myself - how does cold hydrogen ‘sweep clean’ signals from stars at a particular frequency - but not interfere with artificial signals on the same wavelength. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/10 "2011-10-07T18:43:43Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > aliens arriving because they tracked back TV signals and all they knew about us was from I Love Lucy re-runs, or something similar. Or they fear Captain Kirk will kick their ass, and stay away. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/11 "2011-10-07T18:48:02Z")
If it was up to me, I’d do whatever we could to avoid setting up any sort of beacon, and to mask the signals that are already leaking out. Anything that can travel interstellar space to get here is going to have a large technological advantage over us, and may be hostile. Better to hide quietly and not attract unwanted attention until we are better prepared to defend ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/12 "2011-10-07T19:06:55Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I do very much like the idea of sending out signals in bursts of prime numbers or the fibonacci series or something. Sagan has a great idea with that. I do too. Sagan was right that math is the “language” of the universe. Of course, if we sent out just the base line to Michael Jackson’s Beat It… we might attract aliens who love to dance (and possibly contacting his home planet). As far as power is concerned, if a beefy enough transmitter was sent into space, perhaps at a Lagrange point, the sun could provide quite a bit of power, indefinitely, to transmit a pretty powerful signal in all directions. My first though about requirements, is it should broadcast in all sorts of flavors of EM frequencies. As many as possible. Sort of a tangent, but I’m skeptical to thing that aliens would be likely a threat. First of all, if they have interstellar traveling capability, a beacon or not would not prevent them from discovering us. Secondly, I believe interstellar travel is _ridiculously_ prohibitive, just by the laws of nature alone. Communication is more than adequate for first-contact scenarios. That is, unless there is a way to get around the speed limit of _c._ The risk of first contact communication with another intelligent species being malicious I think is pretty low, considering the treasure of sharing of information with another technologically driven life form somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/13 "2011-10-07T19:19:13Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > First of all, if they have interstellar traveling capability, a beacon or not would not prevent them from discovering us. Do you know why there are so many rabbits? Because they don’t run about lighting signal flares and blowing trumpets. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/14 "2011-10-07T19:22:39Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Do you know why there are so many rabbits? > Because they don’t run about lighting signal flares and blowing trumpets. > 🙂 Or because they fuck like… well… rabbits. Plus those fuckers can _ruuun._ But really, what would be the point in wiping humanity out? What’s the value in it for them? ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/15 "2011-10-07T19:28:39Z")
Due to some extremely poor planning, and getting caught up in a bit of a fad, we have all these surplus nulcear devices just sitting around, eating up storage resources. So, here’s what were gonna do, see… We launch those suckers into trans-solar space, beyond the Oort cloud, at least, an set them off in sequences representing well known mathimatic paterns and other constants. This satisfies several suggestions previous posters have made Lots of wattage - check Very Wide band - check Mathematical Patterns - check additionally: Demonstrates technological accumen - check Shows that we can be mean little monkeys - check Hmmm, did those mean little monkeys leave any unexploded nukes hanging about just in case un friendly visitors show up? Check-a-roonie Gets rid of all those nasty nukes - check Revitalises industry, commerce, and economy on Earth (the project would not be cheap)Check Builds space/launch technology here on Earth-Check Looks real cool as seen from Earth… Bitchin! ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/16 "2011-10-07T19:30:44Z")
Just like the Whos in Whoville [did](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYJQpiHJKrE). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/17 "2011-10-07T19:31:06Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > But really, what would be the point in wiping humanity out? What’s the value in it for them? What was the value of virtually wiping out Native Americans? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/18 "2011-10-07T19:56:36Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > But really, what would be the point in wiping humanity out? What’s the value in it for them? We obstruct their view of Venus. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/19 "2011-10-07T20:25:36Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > What was the value of virtually wiping out Native Americans? 🙂 Casinos. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914/20 "2011-10-07T20:28:44Z")
I just can’t buy that they’d come all this way for any of our natural resources, since it’s so abundant in the universe. Surely, they don’t need land, water or fossil fuels. And if it’s war they want… that’s just mean. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-here-beacon-for-aliens/598914.md?page=2)