Will any intelligent living being (human descendants, aliens, etc.) ever listen to the copy of Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night" on Voyager I's Golden Record?

Metaculus
★★★☆☆
10%
Unlikely
Yes

Question description

Launched Mon, 05 Sept 1977 at 12:56:00 UTC, Voyager 1 has intrepidly made its way all the way to interstellar space. Wow. The probe carries with it mementos from Earth, including the so-called Golden Record. Per NASA, this phonograph is "a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth."

One of the most haunting, emotional pieces on that record is a wordless gospel blues song called "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" by the artist Blind Willie Johnson.

Voyager 1 is on track to fly by the star AC +79 3888 (currently nearly 18 light years from Earth) in 40,000 years, give or take a few. Odds are, the craft (and the record on it) will last billions of years or longer, possibly becoming one of the last remaining relics of humanity after the sun turns the Earth into a cinder in its Red Giant phase.

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PlatformMetaculus
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10%
Unlikely

Launched Mon, 05 Sept 1977 at 12:56:00 UTC, Voyager 1 has intrepidly made its way all the way to interstellar space. Wow. The probe carries with it mementos from Earth, including the so-called Golden Record. Per NASA, this phonograph is "a 12-inch...

Last updated: 2024-10-07
★★★☆☆
Metaculus
Forecasts: 260

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