Lexington, the second largest American city in the state of Kentucky, has decided to turn its attention to space, with a unique tourism campaign aimed at attracting extraterrestrials.
It seems that Lexington is at the origin of a world first! A bit of a way Independence Day, even if we obviously do not wish the same disastrous fate on its inhabitants, the horse capital wants to attract other specimens: extraterrestrials. The tourist office of the famous Kentucky city of 320,000 inhabitants has launched a bold initiative, to put it mildly, by sending messages light years into space, to promote the city and attract visitors not far away. like the others.
An interstellar tourism campaign and a message to the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system
This is a very serious campaign in which scientists and academics have agreed to join, to transmit messages towards the TRAPPIST-1 solar system, rich in potentially habitable planets, using an infrared laser.
The planetary system is 39 light years from Earth, which means that the message sent must travel approximately 370 trillion kilometers. More precisely, we will have to wait a little more than 38 years and 250 days before the interstellar message reaches its destination.
Convinced that their city is a jewel of the Earth, the members of the Lexington tourist office invite the aliens to pay them a little visit. This is also a great opportunity to attract the attention of Earthlings, why not combine business with pleasure? If the campaign mixes the first degree with the second, the main objective remains to share the riches of the city with real tourists, as a new year begins.
Interpretable messages and files, to boost local tourism in one way or another
As for extraterrestrials, one of the academics behind this initiative, Brenna Byrd, an expert in linguistics and Germanic languages by trade, highlights the complexity of choosing messages that can be interpreted by the little green men. These include images believed to be universal, audio files, mathematical equations and molecular communications.
More than just an attempt at interstellar communication, this initiative turns into a celebration of Lexington. By revealing varied aspects of the city through the messages, Brenna Byrd insists and emphasizes that it is also an opportunity to share the wonders of Lexington with all who may visit the Earth in the coming decades.
“ Lexington would be a great place to make first contact. You can land your spaceship here. You can see Bluegrass (Editor’s note: which is at the same time a local bourbon, a range of hills and a derivative of country music). You may even be able to ride a horse, depending on your height », laughs Doctor Robert Lodder, expert in computer engineering. It’s certain, Americans really don’t lack imagination.
Source : VisitLex, Lex18
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