The Last Arecibo Message

TL;DR

This paper commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Arecibo Message by presenting the Last Arecibo Message, a conceptual communication intended to symbolize human readiness to explore the universe together, following the collapse of the Arecibo Telescope.

Contribution

The paper introduces the Last Arecibo Message as a symbolic continuation of the original message, reflecting on its significance and the implications of the telescope's collapse.

Findings

The original Arecibo Message was transmitted in 1974.

The Last Arecibo Message was developed for the 50th anniversary.

Transmission efforts are currently uncertain due to the telescope's collapse.

Abstract

The Arecibo Message was a brief binary-encoded communication transmitted into space from the Arecibo Observatory on November 16, 1974, intended to demonstrate human technological prowess. In late 2018, to commemorate the 45th anniversary of this message, the Arecibo Observatory initiated the New Arecibo Message competition. Following a series of challenges, our Boriken Voyagers team was recognized as the winner of the competition in August 2020. Although the primary objective of the competition was to conceptualize rather than transmit a message, the collapse of the Arecibo Telescope in December 2020 precluded any subsequent transmission efforts. Therefore, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Arecibo Message, this paper presents the Last Arecibo Message, as originally developed for the Arecibo Telescope. If the original message says "we are a form of life reaching out to connect", our message says "we are ready to explore the universe together." The prospect of transmitting this or a similar message remains an open question.