The Wow! Signal: A Comet or Extraterrestrial Communication?

The Wow! Signal was a radio signal detected by astronomer Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977, while he was working on a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project at the Big Ear radio telescope of Ohio State University.

What made the signal so fascinating was its unusual nature. It was a narrowband radio signal that lasted for only 72 seconds and appeared to come from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius 120 light years away. The signal was so strong that Ehman circled it on the computer printout and wrote “Wow!” next to it, hence the name Wow! Signal.

Despite numerous additional attempts to detect the signal, it has never been observed again since. Scientists and researchers have proposed several theories about its origin including an attempt by extraterrestrial intelligence to communicate, although no one theory has ever been widely accepted, nor has the possibility of the signal being artificial been ruled out.

In 2017 A team of researchers at the Center of Planetary Science proposed what they believe to be a valid argument that the origin of the signal was indeed a comet, stating that two previously undiscovered comets (at the time) were passing through the same part of the sky that the Big Ear telescope had been listening to that particular day. The team also stated that the movement of the comments would explain why the signal was never detected again.

Sources:

“Wow! mystery signal from space finally explained”, Bob Yirka , Phys.org