EARTH MESSAGES TO EXOPLANET ready for broadcast today. “A total of 25,880 text messages will be broadcast into space, transmitted 20.3 light-years to Gliese 581d. That world is the outlying planet in the Gliese 581 system, and orbits its parent star every 66.8 days. It may be covered by a large and deep ocean and is the first serious ‘waterworld’ candidate discovered beyond our Solar System. The effort was carried out as by the Australian magazine, Cosmos, to celebrate Australia’s National Science Week and the International Year of Astronomy. The initiative was done with the support of NASA, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), and the Australia’s Science Minister Kim Carr.” Is this a good idea?

UPDATE: Sarah Natividad writes:

Aliens, omg ur my new bffs! u got life on ur world? txt me to ur leader!

Yeah, THAT’ll advance interstellar society

Txt me to your leader! I love it.