August 22 is a symbolic day for Japan as it celebrates Tanabata
Astronomers are anxiously waiting for a reply to radio signals beamed into the cosmos 40 years ago which will prove the existence of extraterrestrial life.
According to a report by the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, professors Masaki Morimoto and Hisashi Hirabayashi used an antenna at Stanford University in the US to send a burst of radio signals into the cosmos on August 15, 1983. The message comprised 13 drawings depicting the history of life on Earth, what humans look like and other information.
Now, a team led by Shinya Narusawa at the University of Hyogo are all set to deploy an antenna 64 meters in diameter in Saku, Nagano Prefecture, in the hope of observing radio signals in response to the message sent in 1983.
The astronomers are hoping for a reply from Altair 16.7 light years from Earth. The team of astronomers predict that around now is the earliest point at which a response could arrive, Metro reported.
Altair is found in the Aquila constellation and is the 12th brightest star in the night sky.
"A large number of exoplanets have been detected since the 1990s," said Mr Narusawa told Asahi Shimbun. "Altair may have a planet whose environment can sustain life."
The astronomers are expecting that at 10 pm tomorrow night, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) antenna in Saku, central Japan will scan the skies for a reply, listening for an hour.
August 22 is a symbolic day for Japan as it celebrates Tanabata, also known as the 'star festival' on the seventh day of the seventh month - July 7. However, according to Lunar Calendar Tanabata falls tomorrow, because they decided to choose this date.
In 1983, when the "Hello, is anybody there?" message was beamed to the heavens, it fell on August 15, the media outlet reported.
Professor Masaki Morimoto, a Japanese pioneer in the field known as the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), worked at the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory of the University of Tokyo, now part of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. He died in 2010.
Mr Narusawa, 58, said intelligent life outside of Earth should exist somewhere in the universe. He told the Japanese outlet, "A large number of exoplanets have been detected since the 1990s. Altair may have a planet whose environment can sustain life.”