Message Earth sent to alien planet in 2008 will finally arrive in 2029, but 2050 is earliest for reply
Published on Jul 11, 2025 at 7:42 PM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Jul 11, 2025 at 8:46 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Back in 2008, Earth sent a message to an alien planet, and it’s not scheduled to arrive until 2029 – but we will have to wait until at least 2050 before we hear a reply.
Meet Gliese 581c, an exoplanet discovered in 2007 is the second planet discovered in the Gliese 581 solar system, has the mass of 5.5 Earths, and is the third planet from its red dwarf sun, like us from our sun.
Gliese 581c and Gliese 581d are both just outside of a habitable zone, but with their unique cloud properties and cover, they could potentially host alien life.
On the teensy weensy chance that there might be a friendly alien at home, the “Message From Earth” project was formed to send a message to see if we are, in fact, all alone in the universe all along.
EXPLORE SBX CARS – Supercar auctions starting soon powered by Supercar Blondie
Hello alien planet, is anyone out there?
What do Barack Obama, Gillian Anderson, Cheryl Cole, and Hillary Clinton have in common?
Well, they were all part of the 501 pictures and texts sent by the Ukrainian Space Agency to an alien planet called Gliese 581c and voted on by the public on the now defunct social media channel, Bebo.
When the exoplanet Gliese 581c was discovered in 2007, it was revealed that it was the third planet from its own sun, a red dwarf, and it looked like it could be potentially habitable.
Both Gliese 581c and the planet next to it Gliese 581d were seen as just outside the habitable sphere, but with Gliese 581c’s unique cloud cover, it has a tiny chance of maybe having alien life.
We won’t get a reply until 2050
If the aliens are at home and work out what the heck we actually meant to say by sending random pictures of former US presidents and British celebrities, we can’t expect a response until at least 2050.
It will take 21 light-years for the message to reach Gliese 581c, and 21 light-years at the earliest for a response to come back from the aliens.
Even though we sent the most random selection of pictures and texts to the aliens, we hope they don’t leave us on read.
Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Daisy Edwards is a Content Writer at supercarblondie.com. Daisy has more than five years’ experience as a qualified journalist, having graduated with a History and Journalism degree from Goldsmiths, University of London and a dissertation in vintage electric vehicles. Daisy specializes in writing about cars, EVs, tech and luxury lifestyle. When she's not writing, she's at a country music concert or working on one of her many unfinished craft projects.
