Astronomers at the University of Edinburgh, the Astronomical Technology Center of Great Britain and the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh have developed a project to send messages from Earth into space to the North Star.
In the fall of 2016, astronomers plan to broadcast information messages towards the North Star using radio waves. The messages are expected to reach their destination in 434 years. According to the project coordinator Pavel Kvost, the choice fell on the North Star because of its cultural and geographical importance for navigators and astronomers.
The interstellar message will include human responses to one question: what impact our interactions with the environment will have on the future. Everyone is invited to visit the official website of the project and leave their answer for the space message. Scientists will be able to use the answers to assess whether people's opinions about the ecology and the future of our planet differ depending on their nationality and place of residence.
Researchers believe that at the moment our planet is undergoing great changes and the current environmental decisions will have a huge impact on the future of all inhabitants of the Earth. This project will create a cultural message that embraces a global perspective, which will help scientists in the future to properly use this information.