Voyager's Golden Record: A Cosmic Message to the Stars
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Chapter 1: The Golden Records
Recently, we received an intriguing inquiry from one of our followers: "Can you explain the images on the Voyager record intended for potential extraterrestrial civilizations?"
In 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft, Voyager-1 and Voyager-2, with the goal of exploring the Solar System's planets. These spacecraft were designed to attain enough velocity to exit the Solar System.
Both Voyager spacecraft carry gold-plated records containing messages for other civilizations. These records, shaped like discs and measuring about 30 centimeters in diameter, are crafted from gold-plated copper.
The record covers feature a diagram illustrating how to position the needle to read the recording, along with the playback speed and a method for translating video signals into binary images.
Additionally, the cover displays an illustration of the Sun, including lines indicating the positions and distances of 14 nearby pulsars and the center of the Milky Way. This image serves to pinpoint the Sun's location within the galaxy, although subsequent research has revealed that the distances to these pulsars have changed significantly since the time of the Voyager launches, rendering the map inaccurate.
The record also features depictions of the two primary states of hydrogen and their corresponding emission spectra. This information would assist alien astronomers in identifying the Sun among other stars.
The contents of both Voyager records are identical, showcasing information about Earth, humanity, its history, and culture, along with greetings and addresses directed at potential extraterrestrial beings.
The series of images commences with calibration visuals, followed by images designed to help extraterrestrials understand the symbols on the record, numerical systems, and recording techniques.
Subsequent visuals provide details about the Solar System, photographs of various planets (including Earth) taken from space, human anatomy, biochemistry, and stages of human life.
The images continue with representations of diverse ecosystems, landscapes, and climates, featuring photographs of people from various backgrounds, professions, and social statuses.
Sounds of Earth
The records also include a variety of Earth's sounds, such as the audio of wind, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and rainfall. Animal sounds from species like chimpanzees, blue whales, dogs, frogs, and various birds are part of the collection. Technological sounds are represented too, including a tractor in operation, a bus, a car, Morse code, and a space rocket launch.
The records also feature a compilation of music from various genres, including classical, modern, and folk music. Examples include:
- Classical music:
- Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - The Magic Flute
- Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
- Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5
- Modern music:
- Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
- Marty Bloom and Walter Melrose - Melancholy Blues
- Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground
- Folk music from around the globe, including tunes from countries like Benin, Indonesia, Australia, Georgia, Bulgaria, China, India, Peru, and Japan.
Additionally, the Voyager records include greetings in 55 different languages from various cultures, ranging from major global languages like English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and French to less common ones such as Thai and Welsh, as well as ancient languages like Latin and Sumerian.
It's important to note that the likelihood of another civilization discovering one of the Voyagers is extremely low, making the golden records more symbolic than practical. Yet, it's comforting to think that even if humanity were to face extinction due to a global catastrophe, our legacy may persist through these records.
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Chapter 2: The Voyager Experience
The first video titled "Greetings And Sounds From Voyager's Golden Record (With Pictures)" delves into the rich audio and visual content of the Voyager records, providing insight into the sounds and greetings meant for potential extraterrestrial listeners.
The second video, "The Voyager Golden Record: A reminder that we are all connected," reflects on the significance of the messages contained within the records, emphasizing our shared humanity and connection to the universe.