I’m an amateur astronomer, and like to use my many different expensive telescopes and equipment in my free time to observe different parts of the night sky.
I normally just use my instruments to observe different exoplanets and far away galaxies. However, one particular Friday night I had observed something that I had never seen before.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved space and looking up at the sky, just admiring the beauty of it all. When I was a kid, about 12 years old, I was observing some stars in the Centaurus constellation when I came across a radio signal from one of my satellite tools. Normally, this instrument will pick up random radio waves of all kinds of different signals like radio stations and static noise. I even picked up a signal from the International Space Station one time.
Anyways, the new signal that I was receiving was coming from the Proxima Centauri star system, which is approximately 4.24 light years away from Earth.
(For reference, a light year is the distance that light waves can travel in one year. So this signal I had received was “sent” from its source about 4.24 years ago).
I was honestly surprised that I had received any sort of signal from this star system to begin with. Was it radiation noise that I was hearing coming from my radio? Or maybe some kind of atmospheric disturbance? It was actually a pretty quiet and clear night that night, so there was little chance it was the latter.
The signal that I had received made no sense to me, I mean, I was just a kid. However, the signal seemed to have some sort of pattern. It was a few pulses of almost beeps that were separated by different intervals of time that lasted about 2 whole minutes, followed by some long static, and then it repeated. It did this about 10 times, until the signal was lost in the wind, never to be observed again.
Of course, I recorded the entire signal while also writing down some notes of the signal that I had just received. The first thing I did was check to see if it was Morse code, which it was in fact not. Then I tried other deciphering methods to try to crack this code, and ultimately had no luck with any other secret code languages.
I decided to do something that I had never done before in my observations of the night sky. I was going to send a reply back on the slim chance that the original signal was sent from an intelligent alien species. And so, I recorded my simple message and sent the signal out in the direction of the Proxima Centauri system.
Here was my message:
“Uh… ehem… hello! I am a human from the planet Earth and have received your message, although I do not understand it. If anyone is out there that receives my message, please reply. And just know that we are here, and we are happy to have received your message. Thank you.”
It was a short, yet simple message that I didn’t really expect anything to happen from. I packed up my equipment for the night and headed inside…
…Fast forward just under 51 months later and I was now 16 years old. I was once again outside one night observing the night sky like I normally was most nights. I had a lot more instruments to help me with my observations, which allowed me to scan more of the sky each time I went out. One of my satellites was pointed towards the constellation of Centaurus, like it had been a little more that 4 years ago.
I was just about to pack up for the night when I saw my data spike coming from that exact spot in the sky. I tuned into that satellite’s channel to observe the signal I was receiving, and to my shock, there it was again. The same type of signal that I had received when I was 4 years younger.
Was it a reply? It couldn’t have been, since my reply should have taken 4.24 years for them to receive it, and another 4.24 years for me to receive their response. Unless, whoever sent this signal had faster than light (FTL) devices that could send signals back almost instantaneously.
I was surprised, but filled with joy and excitement that I may have just received a response to my reply. I tuned in and observed the signal.
This time, it was a bit different. It started out with the same beeping noises as before, but then began to morph into something entirely different. It was inaudible at first, but then I could clearly hear that whatever this signal was, was mimicking my words from the signal I had sent prior.
My heart sank as I pondered on this revelation, until it began to attempt speaking other words, moving around my words in an attempt to understand our language. Then, a brief pause arose. The signal went silent, until it began to pick up again. The signal spoke once more, now clearly audible in my native language saying:
“T-They… are… c-coming. You… m-must… leave… while you… s-still can.”
I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of this. I began questioning if this was even real or if it was some sort of prank by some NASA employee or something. But I knew that couldn’t be the case since I observed these bits of data on my own, with my own instruments. Plus, I had received a previous signal from this same source exactly 4.24 years prior, still assuming that they had some kind of FTL communications device.
I recorded down the signal that I had received, and began to question what it had meant. What is coming, and if it was a threat, how could we all leave our one and only planet?
I began to worry that maybe I shouldn’t have responded to that signal in the first place because there might be consequences to my actions.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided that I was already in too deep to turn back now. I ended up sending a new reply once more, saying:
“Thank you for the message. On behalf of my planet, we thank you for this warning. However, I am still confused and have many questions. Who are you, and how can you respond so fast? How can you understand our language so quickly? And finally, what is coming towards us that we should be worried about? Is it dangerous in any way, and if so, can you help us? Thank you again for your reply, I hope to hear from you again in a few years.”
I’m honestly disappointed that different planets have to be so far apart from each other. It makes exploring the universe very difficult, and in my situation it makes receiving a reply very annoying.
A couple days later, I had the idea to try and report this information to different space agencies like NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin. I even reached out to different alien conspiracists, and to my dismay, none of them batted an eye. They all probably thought that I was just making it up.
However, one of the employees from NASA that I had sent the data to took me very seriously. They told me that this was very helpful information, and thanked me for it. They didn’t respond to any of my messages after that when I had asked them about any updates later on.
I didn’t expect much out of this, until a few weeks went by and I had received a knock at my door. Two men dressed in fancy black suits were at my doorstep, claiming to be members of NASA. I wasn’t fazed by their claims until they provided me with solid proof of their NASA employee IDs. Upon seeing this, I agreed to let them in and to speak with them.
They wasted no time and got straight to the point. Their serious demeanor and the gravity of their words sent a chill down my spine.
“We’ve been monitoring your communications with the unidentified alien signal,” one of them said, his voice low and measured. “Your observations have provided invaluable insights into a potential extraterrestrial threat.”
I swallowed hard, feeling a knot form in my stomach. The implications of their words were staggering. “What… what do you mean, a threat?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
The other man exchanged a glance with his companion before continuing. “We believe that the message you received may indicate the imminent arrival of an alien force,” he explained. “One that poses a significant danger to Earth and humanity as a whole.”
He continued, “Your signal seemed to have alerted some kind of unforeseen force just outside of our solar system. It seems to be moving at a high velocity towards the direction of Earth.”
My mind raced with a million questions, but before I could voice them, they handed me a folder containing classified information. “We need your help,” the first man said, his expression grave. “Your expertise and knowledge could be instrumental in deciphering the alien signal and formulating a plan of action.”
I stared at the folder in disbelief, the weight of the situation sinking in. Despite my fear and uncertainty, I knew that I couldn’t turn my back on humanity in its darkest hour. With a deep breath, I nodded solemnly, accepting the responsibility that had been thrust upon me.
Over the following days, I thought a lot about my new tasks at hand, pouring over the data with a sense of urgency. I wondered if our planet was truly safe. I was fearful of the looming threat before our civilization, but I knew that if we didn’t do something now, then that would be it for humanity.
I’m not too sure who or what sent out that warning message to me, but I do know that they were a blessing.
I am now looking up at the stars while typing this message. I know that my journey is far from over. The universe is vast and full of mysteries, but with courage and determination, and with the weapon that NASA and I are currently working on, I know that our planet can face whatever challenges lay ahead.