{
  "id": 20174607,
  "title": "Humanity’s 1st intentional signal to space 52 years ago",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/15/humanitys-1st-intentional-signal-to-space-52-years-ago",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-15T12:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "EarthSky",
    "slug": "earthsky",
    "url": "https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-first-radio-signal-beamed-to-space/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On November 16, 1974, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico beamed the first intentional signal to space. This highly powerful broadcast was designed by Cornell astronomy professor Frank Drake in collaboration with other scientists, including Carl Sagan. The main purpose of the message was to contact extraterrestrial life. While some applauded this endeavor, others suggested that we should refrain from drawing attention to ourselves, fearing that it might invite unwanted contact from alien civilizations.\n\nThe message itself consisted of a sequence of binary numbers, which conveyed vital information about the fundamental elements of life, DNA's structure, Earth's position within the solar system, and a rudimentary human figure. The Arecibo radio telescope broadcast the 1st intentional radio message into space using a megawatt transmitter connected to its 1,000-foot (305-meter) antenna. This setup concentrated the transmitter energy into a small area of the sky, amplifying its impact. The emission was equivalent to a 20-trillion-watt broadcast, making it detectable by a SETI experiment anywhere in the galaxy, assuming an antenna similar in size to Arecibo's.\n\nThe 1974 signal was directed towards Messier 13, a globular star cluster orbiting the Milky Way's center. It was selected for this purpose because it's a large collection of stars and was accessible in the sky at the time. Moreover, globular star clusters are extremely distant - in this case, about 25,000 light-years away from Earth. As of today, the 1974 signal is 52 light-years away from us.",
  "summary": "The iconic Arecibo telescope is no longer operational. But its legacy lives on. And in 1974, Arecibo sent earthlings' 1st intentional signal to space. The post Humanity’s 1st intentional signal to space 52 years ago first appeared on EarthSky .",
  "key_points": [
    "Arecibo Observatory transmitted first intentional space signal on November 16, 1974",
    "Message contained binary numbers about life, DNA, Earth's position, human figure",
    "Signal aimed at Messier 13, 25,000 light-years away, detectable by SETI experiments"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}