Astronomers are expecting a message from aliens today that is 40 years in the making

According to a report from Asahi Shimbun, Professors Masaki Morimoto and Hisashi Hirabayashi used Stanford University's antenna to send a series of radio signals, including 13 drawings illustrating Earth's history and humanity's appearance, on August 15, 1983.

 Now, a team led by Shinya Narusawa at the University of Hyogo is preparing to deploy a 64-metre-wide antenna in Saku, Nagano Prefecture.

They hope to detect any radio signals in response to the 1983 message.

The astronomers are focusing on Altair, a star 16.7 light years away in the Aquila constellation, expecting a potential response around this time, according to report in Metro.

 The team aims to scan the skies for a reply on August 22, coinciding with Tanabata, the 'star festival' in Japan, which is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month according to the Lunar Calendar.

 Narusawa believes that the vast universe likely hosts intelligent life beyond Earth, pointing out the numerous exoplanets discovered since the 1990s.

Astronomers are hoping to receive a message from aliens after a 40-year wait for a reply comes to an end.

On 15 August 1983, a pair of hopeful astronomers at Stanford University beamed a message into space via an antenna. They believe that 22 August 2023 is the earliest time they can expect to receive a reply.

The experiment was the brain-child of professors Masaki Morimoto and Hisashi Hirabayashi, who, around 40 years ago, beamed 13 drawings in radio waves to a star named Altair, approximately 16.7 light-years away from Earth.

The 13 drawings sent into space by Morimoto and Hirabayashi were designed to tell the story of human evolution and how human beings came to exist on Earth.

Drawings depicted how humans evolved from microscopic creatures that eventually moved from water onto land. It also explained our solar system and what DNA is.

It was the hope that if there was any intelligent life on planets close to the star, they would interpret the messages and hopefully send a reply.

Dr Hirabayashi, the other pioneer, is currently a professor emeritus at JAXA. It is yet to be seen whether he will see his 40-year experiment gets the conclusion he was hoping for.