Sónar Calling GJ273b is in the news, at the time of this question, for sending messages into space in an attempt to contact aliens. Some news sites are calling the messages "secret". Does anyone know why? Was the sending of the messages supposed to be secret?
Scientists take risk sending secret message to aliens
Scientists send secret message to aliens in new search for intelligent life
Background:
From the Newsweek article (caution on annoying auto-play media) Scientists have Sent Messages to Advanced Alien Civilizations - and ar Hoping for a Reply in 25 years:
Despite these concerns, they forged ahead and it was announced the messages had been sent at Sónar, a festival of music, creativity and technology held in Barcelona, Spain. Sónar initially came up with the idea for the project, and asked METI and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) to collaborate on it.
They sent out messages to GJ273—or Luyten’s Star—a red dwarf with a potentially habitable exoplanet called GJ273b. The message was beamed towards the system on October 16, 17, and 18. It took 11 minutes each day, with the total transmission lasting 33 minutes.
Image caption "The messages were sent from the EISCAT antenna in Tromsø, Norway. SÓNAR INTERNATIONAL"
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