News 

The social networking ran a competition in which 501 winners got the chance to send a message of their choice 20.5 light years to the planet Gliese 581c, considered by scientists the most likely place to find intelligent life.

What denizens of 581c are likely to think of us after picking over the curious mishmash of nonsense messages, heartfelt ramblings and assorted pictures of celebrities and animals is anybody's guess, however.

"Hello Aliens, when you arrive just say spoons, two spoons, Dave spoon," says Scott Mills of Radio One.

"Our world is being destroyed, everything natural is being built on. Without nature we will all die, and I don't want that to happen," says josie woop woop, doing the intergalactic tourism trade no favours.

The message was sent from a Ukrainian radar telescope, and a ticking counter on the site is keeping track of the distance travelled by the signal which is expected to reach Gliese 581 by 2029, with a response likely to arrive 2049. We'll make sure to wait by the phone.