The wow signal: 1977 radio signal from space audio:
SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) has in one way or another been around since before the days of practical human flight.
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The famed Nikola Tesla is arguably the pioneer, using his groundbreaking wireless technology to search for life on Mars way back in 1896. However in the modern context the search has become incredibly more advanced.
Even though the majority of scientists prefer to use heat and oxygen sensitive measures nowadays when looking for ET, there's still a solid number who still vouch for the classic radiography approach. So is it likely that such a signal may somehow appear? After all it assumes that our alien cousins have independently devised radio signals which are readable on our own devices.
Plus factor in the immense distance between potential life hosting planets - we're talking light years here - and guess that any signals sent using this technology would have been likely hundreds of years old.
There's a great deal to dampen the expectations of even the most ardent sky-watcher. So why do they persist? It all comes down to the WOW signal. Without question this is one of the most famed and fabled events in the relatively recent history of astronomy. There's many questions to be asked, so let's get started.
Detecting The WOW Signal
It's been the basis of pretty much any Hollywood blockbuster associated with humans making contact with an extraterrestrial species. Think of Contact or the more recent Arrival for a sense of context. The bored, tired scientist listening out for the glimmer of contact originating from the deepest and darkest unexplored space. But then it suddenly seems to arrive.
On August 15, 1977 Jerry Ehman was that guy. Casually listening out into the dark mysteries of space, he was looking after the Big Ear telescope at Ohio State University. From his anecdotes it had been a long and tiring day, however what he heard shortly into his shift is not just unprecedented - it's also documented.
Out of nowhere a signal came through that was thirty times stronger than anything previously recorded. It lasted for a full 72 seconds before suddenly vanishing back into the ether. In his amazement Ehman scribbled down on his teleprinter the now famous WOW! that has ever since been symbolic in the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life.
At the time it was big news, but don't go about thinking of black helicopters and shady government officials just yet. Almost from the first announcement of this bizarre event, the scientific community was looking for ways to logically explain this incredible anomaly. Upon investigation it was concluded that all the equipment used with the Big Ear was fully functional, hadn't been tampered with, and by no means was this a silly joke.
Replicated Attempts
Obviously this was massive news in the space watching fraternity. Remember this is way before the Internet age so it took considerable time to align other telescopes around the world to try and replicate the message that seemed to have been sent from somewhere around the Sagittarius constellation. Scientists scrambled to their scopes hoping to pick up a new signal. But unfortunately there was none to be found.
Forty years after the WOW was detected, not a single telescope - and consider that advances in technology have been enormous over this time frame - has detected a similar reading. Even though there's masses of speculation as to what may have led to such an incredible event, people are still trying to pick up a glimmer of what may have been our first contact with ET.
These people aren't stupid, misguided or deranged. They genuinely believe that there's still a solid chance that the signal was originating from another place, far, far away. Why? Simply because nobody can really adequately explain it otherwise.
WOW Signal Theories
What is the wow signal? Many theories have been bounced around to try to explain the WOW signal, but fact is that none have been proven to be entirely correct. Let's take a moment to look at the evidence. We have one of the strongest, most capable space telescopes in the world - fully functional I may add - detecting an unprecedented level of signals originating from a specific constellation.
What is the wow signal? The data is there on public record that something triggered this report. Here's a low down on the most popular explanations.
Modern Tech Has Found No Trace
As mentioned above the advances made in space observation are phenomenal - it's little short of the discovery of the wheel since the time of the WOW signal detection. Modern scopes such as the Very Big Array have found nothing.
The most optimistic assumption is that if the signal was of genuine ET origins, then it may have been a circular or one off 'shot in the dark' that we just happened to miss. More likely they suggest that the extreme amount of hydrogen in the area believed to be the signal's origin disrupted readings for a short while.
Did It Originate From Earth?
Don't get your hopes up - the prospect of little green men living underground or the depths of the deepest oceans is pretty remote! More practically a number of scientists who have looked into the WOW signal meaning suggest that the readings were sent skew-if by Earth itself. In layman's terms it comes down to looking into radio frequency and the potential that they can be interrupted by those with the means.
The WOW signal was operating at 1420 MHz - a frequency reserved and observed internationally solely for astronomical purposes. Despite this being the most commonly accepted explanation for the WOW signal - acknowledged by Ehman himself - the chances of military or governmental sources intentionally interfering are remote. There are set guidelines against such encroachment, and any 'trespass' has to be reported. None were ever filed.
A Comet Emission?
A more recent theory is that the signal could have originated from the close passing of two very large comets. Much as this makes sense on a practical level, it has never been tested or simulated. If this were actually the case, just take a moment to imagine the odds. Two comets flying right past each other within range of detection is akin to throwing a grain of sand on the US west coast and hoping it collides with one in the Philippines. It's implausible until further testing has been done.
Final Thoughts
The WOW signal is without question one of the great mysteries of the 20th century. Only science can tell if it was some strange anomaly within otherwise solid and dependable technology, or if it was genuinely detecting the potential of intelligent life outside of our Earth. Let's leave this in the astronomer's hands for now - and given that they're still actively monitoring that constellation, anything might be possible.