Earth received an 'alien message' from Mars last year and public have been invited to decode it

If we were ever contacted by aliens the chances are we'd have no idea what they were saying at first.

It could be 'we come in peace', 'we're here to destroy you all' or something else, as it's unlikely that they'd actually be able to speak our languages.

We're stepping into the realms of science fiction here and on different ends of the spectrum properties like Doctor Who 'cheat' by automatically translating alien languages (except when they don't for added jeopardy) while the movie Arrival was all about first contact with aliens we can't understand.

While governments will have people on translation duty at the first sign of alien arrival there's also a good chance that everyone else will have a crack at it too.

If you reckon you're up to it then you should give an 'alien message' we received a try, although of course it's not actually a transmission from aliens as this has come from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute.

YouTube/A Sign In Space

It's their project, 'A Sign In Space', a sort of intergalactic piece of 'global theatre' which has sent an encoded message from space to our planet.

Daniela de Paulis, the artist behind the project, explained why it would be so important to try something like this.

She said: "Throughout history, humanity has searched for meaning in powerful and transformative phenomena.

"Receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilisation would be a profoundly transformational experience for all humankind.

"A Sign in Space offers the unprecedented opportunity to tangibly rehearse and prepare for this scenario through global collaboration, fostering an open-ended search for meaning across all cultures and disciplines."

Getty Stock Photo

The transmission is available for anyone to download and attempt to decode, and that's the name of the game.

The message was first sent out from European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which is currently hanging around the red planet.

It was then picked up by three radio astronomy observatories, the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, California, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, West Virginia, and the Medicina Radio Astronomical Station Observatory, Italy.

Exactly what the message says is not clear and that's because 'A Sign In Space' wants everyone to have a go at deciphering the out-of-this-world transmission.

ATA Project Scientist Dr. Wael Farah said: “This experiment is an opportunity for the world to learn how the SETI community, in all its diversity, will work together to receive, process, analyse, and understand the meaning of a potential extraterrestrial signal.”

You can download the message here and now it's up to you to figure out what it actually says, and if you do get it right, then perhaps there's a future career in intergalactic diplomacy for you.

Topics: Science, Space, Aliens, Technology

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker