Have We Ever Received Radio Signals From Space?

-- | January 19, 2014

Question: Hello I was wondering have we ever received any radio signals from space? What I’m trying to ask has earth ever received a message from space? — Brandon

Answer: Well, in fact, all objects in the universe that emit electromagnetic radiation (or “light”) emit radio waves. Remember that “radio waves” are just one small chunk of what physicists call the “electromagnetic spectrum”. So, in a literal sense, the answer to your question is yes. I believe, though, that what you are really asking is if we have received an artificial radio signal from another civilization. The answer to that question is definitely no. That indeed would an event that we would all hear about!

Jeff Mangum

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