The Golden Record

A photograph of Voyager's golden record.

When NASA launched Voyager, it carried the famous golden record, a 30cm gold-plated disc containing greetings in 55 languages, images of Earth and music from around the World.

At the time, it was symbolic – a poetic gesture for posterity.

Decades later, that record is being reconsidered, not as a message but as a beacon.

The golden record includes Earth’s location mapped using pulsars. It also includes instructions for how to play it and interpret its symbols.