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Numbers Read from right to left, the numbers from 1 to 10 appear in binary format (the bottom row marks the beginning of each number). Even knowing binary, the encoding of the numbers may not be immediately obvious due to the way they have been written. To read the first seven digits, ignore the bottom row, and read them as three binary digits from top to bottom, with the top digit being the most significant. The readings for 8, 9 and 10 are a little different, as they have been given an additional column to the left of the first. This is probably intended to show that numbers too large to fit in a column can be written in several contiguous ones, where the contiguous columns don't have the base marker. 00 00 00 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 01 00 00 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 10 11 10 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 X X X X X X X X X X <-least significant digit marker DNA elements Reading from right to left, the numbers 1, 6, 7, 8 and 15 appear, which are the atomic numbers of hydrogen (H), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O) and phosphorus (P). These are the components of DNA. The numbers 8 and 15 are written in a logical extension of binary encoding, rather than with the contiguous columns method shown in the message's top number figures: 15 8 7 6 1 ---------- 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 X X X X X Nucleotides The nucleotides are described as a sequence of the 5 atoms that appear on the preceding line. They are read from right to left. For example, the first nucleotide, deoxyribose (C5OH7) is read as: 00011 00001 01011 XXXXX which is, 7 (=111 in binary) atoms of hydrogen, 5 (=101 in binary) atoms of carbon, 0 atoms of nitrogen, 1 atom of oxygen and 0 atoms of phosphorus. The readings (right to left) are: Deoxyribose (C5OH7), Adenine (C5H4N5), Thymine (C5H5N2O2), Deoxyribose (C5OH7). Phosphate (PO4), Phosphate (PO4). Deoxyribose (C5OH7), Cytosine (C4H4N3O), Guanine (C5H4N5O), Deoxyribose (C5OH7). Phosphate (PO4), Phosphate (PO4). Double helix DNA double helix (the vertical bar represents the number of nucleotides, but the value depicted is 4.2 billion when in fact there are about 3.2 billion base pairs in the human genome). Humanity The element in the center represents a human. The element on the right indicated the average height of a person: 1764 mm. This corresponds to the horizontally written binary 14 multiplied with the wavelength of the message (126 mm). The element on the left depicts the size of human population in 1974 encoded with 32 bits: 4,292,853,750. Note that the "least significant digit marker" is to the upper right. Planets The solar system from right to left, showing the Sun and the planets in the order of their position from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, which was considered a planet at the time the message was written. The Earth is the third planet from the Sun - its graphic is shifted up to identify it as the planet from which the signal was sent. In addition to showing position, the graphic provides a general, not-to-scale size reference of each planet and the Sun. Telescope The last part represents the Arecibo radio telescope with its diameter (2430 (0x97E) multiplied with the wavelength gives 306.18 m). In this case the "least significant digit marker" is lower left pixel of the central group. Crop circle A crop circle containing a modified form of the Arecibo message was found near Chilbolton's Observatory, depicting a grey in place of the human figure. It is generally believed to be a hoax. (The Chilbolton 'Arecibo message' Formation) Video Games A video game named ('Arecibo Response') was created using the Arecibo message as a basis for its plot line. See also | ||||||||||
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