The Sónar Festival in Barcelona has special plans for its 25th anniversary in 2018 that are out of this world, to say the least. The festival plans to attempt to contact intelligent life using a musical transmission dubbed “Sónar Calling GJ273b,” marking the first communication ever sent to a nearby potentially habitable exoplanet.
Sónar Festival is setting its sights on Luyten’s Star b 12.4 light-years away from earth, allowing for the potential of Earth receiving a response back in 25 years. 33 ten-second pieces have been selected for the transmission, including contributions by artists such as Richie Hawtin, Nina Kraviz, Modeselektor, the Black Madonna, and Jean-Michel Jarre, among others.
The festival sent the first transmission to Luyten Star B in October, and the second transmission is set for April 2018. The general public is invited to take part by submitting original compositions, and three submissions will be chosen to be included in the April transmission. More information on the submissions can be found on their official website.