2023-07-24 14:47:36
A priori, no extraterrestrial has yet fallen on the disc which is in the Voyager 1 and 2 probes. But ordinary Earthlings will soon have the opportunity to own a copy. The master copy of the “Voyager Golden Record” will be auctioned this Thursday by Sotheby’s between 400,000 and 600,000 dollars (360,000 to 660,000 euros), reports Geo.
This disc consists of two magnetic tapes on which are the original recordings of the Voyager Golden Record. They belong to the personal collection of astronomer Carl Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan. The couple actively participated in the development of the disc which was shipped on respondents propelled into space in 1977 by at NASA.
90 minutes of earthly life
The 30cm gold-plated copper analog disc, titled ‘The Sounds Of Earth’, includes recordings of life and culture on Earth. There are greetings in 59 languages, the call of the humpback whales and 27 parts musical traditions of the world, all in 90 minutes.
We must also add 115 images encoded in analog form, which present scenes of terrestrial life (architecture, agriculture, food, sport, dance, technology, fauna). They also give instructions on how to reach Earth. Thus, the extraterrestrial who would potentially come across one of the Voyager probes would have a glimpse of life on Earth.
« [Nous] designed the Voyager Golden Record to be a testament to the beauty of being alive on Earth,” says Ann Druyan in Sotheby’s release regarding the sale. “We hoped it would capture the richness and diversity of our world. »
A long journey for the Voyager probes
The sleeves of these recordings display the cosmic address of the Sun and instructions for playing the disc with a cartridge and a needle. On the cover of the recordings, there is also a sample of uranium 238, allowing the shipment to be dated.
Eight copies of this disk were made in the 1970s. Two are still in space, with the Voyager probes. In about 40,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass 1.7 light years from the star Ross 248, according to NASA. In about 296,000 years, it will fly 4.3 light years from Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
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