When the Beatles' "Across the Universe" Was Sent Across the Universe

 On February 1, 2008, US space agency NASA announced its decision to beam the Beatles' "Across the Universe" into space. It was the first song to be used as such. 

Source: Harper Collins/Press Association

The song was to be aimed at the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years away as a means to celebrate the song's 40th anniversary. It was officially beamed on the 4th through the deep space network, which is a series of giant radio antennas used to support spacecraft missions. Paul McCartney wrote to the space agency, stating: "Amazing! Well done, NASA. Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."

Yoko Ono also added a statement. "I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe."

As a result of the event, fans have dubbed February 4 as Across the Universe Day. If you would like to read more on the event, you can check it out on NASA's website here.

Happy listening!

Hey there! I'm Olive, and I'm a part-time blog writer hoping to share my love of older music and countercultural history. I started this blog during my freshman year of college as a means to get a head start doing what I love most - writing. I've always loved writing and music, and wanted to do something that would involve doing both. Now, I've got this cool (totally not biased) blog page!

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