Interstellar Message

 

Interstellar Message: Page #1

Parameter

Value

Date/Time Began 03/26/2007 06:24:28 UT
Number of Times Repeated 1,024
Date/Time Finished 03/31/2007 14:23:06 UT
Number of Pulses 560
Page Duration (With Delay) 7 min 29.92 sec
Data Transfer Rate 1.24 bits per second
Symbol A (84.7 Hz) Occurs 32 times
Symbol B (100.7 Hz) Occurs 528 times

 

Going from left to right and from top to bottom page #1 is as follows:

BABBABBBABBBBABBBBBABBBBBBABBBBBBBABBBBBBBBABBBBBB
BBBABBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBB
BBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBA

 

Translation Notes

Page #1 consists entirely of the symbols A and B.  It has 1 B followed by 1 A, 2 B's followed by 1 A, 3 B's followed by 1 A, ..., 32 B's followed by 1 A.  Thus, it's pretty clear that the symbol B is used as a counting mechanism and the symbol A is used as a statement terminator.  The entire page is nothing but a simple counting of integers from 1 to 32 in order using a unary number scheme.  If we reorganize the page by letting the symbol A terminate each line and adding artificial line numbers for our convenience then the page looks like:

 1.) BA
 2.) BBA
 3.) BBBA
 4.) BBBBA
 5.) BBBBBA
 6.) BBBBBBA
 7.) BBBBBBBA
 8.) BBBBBBBBA
 9.) BBBBBBBBBA
10.) BBBBBBBBBBA
11.) BBBBBBBBBBBA
12.) BBBBBBBBBBBBA
13.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBA
14.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
15.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
16.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
17.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
18.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
19.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
20.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
21.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
22.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
23.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
24.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
25.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
26.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
27.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
28.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
29.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
30.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
31.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA
32.) BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBA

The complete English translation of page #1 is as follows:

  1.) 1 (unary)
  2.) 2 (unary)
  3.) 3 (unary)
  4.) 4 (unary)
  5.) 5 (unary)
  6.) 6 (unary)
  7.) 7 (unary)
  8.) 8 (unary)
  9.) 9 (unary)
10.) 10 (unary)
11.) 11 (unary)
12.) 12 (unary)
13.) 13 (unary)
14.) 14 (unary)
15.) 15 (unary)
16.) 16 (unary)
17.) 17 (unary)
18.) 18 (unary)
19.) 19 (unary)
20.) 20 (unary)
21.) 21 (unary)
22.) 22 (unary)
23.) 23 (unary)
24.) 24 (unary)
25.) 25 (unary)
26.) 26 (unary)
27.) 27 (unary)
28.) 28 (unary)
29.) 29 (unary)
30.) 30 (unary)
31.) 31 (unary)
32.) 32 (unary)

 

We can also establish a dictionary for the symbols A and B which is:

Dictionary So Far

Symbol

Frequency Shift

Meaning

A 84.7 Hz Statement terminator
B 100.7 Hz Unary digit (BB is 2, BBB is 3, etc.)

 

Concepts Learned on Page #1

Symbol A is the statement terminator
Counting using a unary number scheme (positive integers from 1 to 32)