WOW! signal from space

The "famous in certain circles" Wow signal was dicsovered 30 years ago today.

The 'Wow' mystery turns 30
Posted: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 8:50 PM by Alan Boyle

Exactly 30 years ago today, astronomer Jerry Ehman was looking over a printout of radio data from Ohio State University's Big Ear Radio Observatory when he saw a string of code so remarkable that he had to circle it and scribble "Wow!" in the margin. The printout recorded an anomalous signal so strong that it had to come from an extraordinary source.

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Link

So what are your thoughts? Real signal from extra-solar intelligence? Natural extra-terrestrial origin? Terrestrial origin? Software or hardware bug?

The last paragraph of the story is interesting. Arecibo sent part of a coded test message for 3 minutes back in 1974 then abruptly cut it off. Is it possible that some one else did the same thing a long long time ago and that's what the wow message was?

I'd also be interested in opinions on whether we should transmit coded signals at all. Listening is OK in my opininion, but I'd prefer we didn't advertise our existence and whereabouts willy nilly.





[edit on 8/16/2007 by darkbluesky]

I thought it was a new signal....

Remember hearing about this many times, here is some more interesting info on the "Wow" signal.

The signal came from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, and lasted seventy-two seconds at about 1420.456 MHz before it faded away. The volunteer who found and circled the data in the paper printout was Jerry Ehman, who was amazed at the signal's intensity and what a narrow range of frequencies it appeared in. Seventy-two seconds also happened to be the exact length of time it would take for the Earth to rotate the Big Ear through a signal from space. He did some analysis of the data, and by all indications this powerful, narrowband radio signal was from outside of our solar system. But was it sent by an advanced civilization?"Wow" remains the strongest and clearest signal ever received from an unknown source in space, as well as the most fascinating and unexplainable. The signal's original discoverer Jerry Ehman doesn't care to speculate on its source, and he remains scientifically skeptical. "Even if it were intelligent beings sending a signal," he said in an interview, "they'd do it far more than once. We should have seen it again when we looked for it 50 times." Perhaps. But consider that when humankind used the Arecibo radio telescope to send a message out into space in 1974, it was only sent once.

Link

All we have, unfortunately, is a bucket-full of conflicting expert opinion on this particular matter.

The protagonists insist it's a genuine intelligently-contrived artifact, the nay-sayers (seemingly in the majority now) lean towards the 'bounced signal of terrestrial origin'.

I think none of these 'experts' know for sure, and the ones that 'want to believe' continue to do so, while those that prefer the relative 'professional comfort' of Earth-bound sources can and will camp out there in perpetuity.

And thus, yet again, we are left to our own opinions on the case, which means that we can never know for sure - at least not until some corroborative evidence comes to light.

Nothing is worse than having a planet full of esteemed 'scientists' so vehemently disagreeing with each other.

There simply is not, and never will be, enough information to form a conclusion about this single anomaly, as it was never repeated. Investigation into it at this point would not provide any answers.

But it would be really cool if it did happen again, and again, and again......I may be skeptical but I want something to happen as bad as all the reptile, nordic, abduction nutjobs around here, lol.

I personally think we have a better chance of detecting ET through other means than through SETI, but that's a whole different thread.

Drake shared the same belief that it was a real interstellar message. (Dr. Ehman has cautiously addressed the same conclusion after ruling out all Earth radio interference explanations.)

The wow! signal won't go away. I read a blog yesterday by a science writer talking about the wow! signal and said writer (Ray Villard writes on popular astronomy topics for magazines, radio shows and planetariums and is the news director for the Hubble Space Telescope. ) Seems to pretty well believe we received a message from the (around the area) center of our milky way galaxy. I recently finished reading a book called "the lure" and after reading the blog by Ray it sort of makes sense. A message randomly shot off in different directions by advanced aliens to see if they get "a bite" in so many simple words.

Of course this isn't proof , but if some of the big boys in SETI think the Wow! signal was the real deal, it makes you wonder. link to blog below

SOURCE : blogs.discovery.com...

"Even if it were intelligent beings sending a signal," he said in an interview, "they'd do it far more than once. We should have seen it again when we looked for it 50 times." Perhaps. But consider that when humankind used the Arecibo radio telescope to send a message out into space in 1974, it was only sent once.

We still continue to broadcast radio and television waves every second...they simply aren't directed. For the "wow" signal to truly be meaningful, we need repeated instances, simple as that. Otherwise, just remains as an unexplained anomoly...

I'm more with the "listen, but don't advertise" crowd myself, but I think it's too late...we sent our wakeup call out to all when we first split the atom, and it sure seemed to peak someone's interest, imho....

I'm not sure what good it is, being that I never know who is responding to me or not, but I was watching a few documentaries, and there are a couple that have segments of the WOW signal. First is Hyperspace with Sam Neill........and when they discuss the WOW signal, they say in THAT documentary, that the WOW signal remains unexplained. However, in another documentary (can't recall what documentary) actually has Jill Tarter on it saying that the WOW signal actually came from a far off research satellite. So, my question is, how does a big production documentary using such a high calibur actor like Sam Neill, get that fact wrong? Seems like Jill Tarter saying herselft that it was a signal from a far off research sattelite would be the more truthfull account.

It would be easy to assume that Jill Tarter saying that it was a far off sattelite is speaking the truth......it's just that I don't understand how a big production documentary could get something like that wrong. The documentary with Jill Tarter is previous to the Hyperspace documentary series...so, what's up with that? I just don't get it.

Is it a satellite like Jill Tarter says or was it a signal from another place in our galaxy? My gut tells me that it was a far off satellite, but my gut also says that there is something else going on, being that Hyperspace got it wrong, or did they?

For all we know, we just happened to get the last signal from them (whoever "they" are)..but that would be an amazing coincidence (astronomical even, to pardon the pun)...

Still, it's intriguing.

As for whether we should broadcast...I'd say not, but kind of too late for that... After all, we've already sent out probes with directions on how to get here. For all we know, we may have led our doom right to our doorstep...

Then again, it may lead our saviors here too....who knows?

Maybe I'm just pessimistic though, but I feel our first public ET encounter won't go so well...

Whatever it might or might not have been. To the best of my knowledge they are still refusing point blank to explain, exactly what the data actually meant. By that i mean , that, they are, apparently still refusing to even discuss how they interpreted the data at the time and what information, they actually believe the *message* contained.

reply to post by FireMoon


Hi, I'm wondering why Jill Tarter says in a documentary that it was in fact a far off research satellite.....

Seems unnecessary to contemplate otherwise, when it comes straight from the horses mouth.

However, as I said in my other post, that the Hyperspace documentary with Sam Neill says that the WOW signal is still unexplained, and if that's the case, then why did Jill Tarter say it was in fact a rsearch satellite? Seems like you would just drop it at that, after you hear Jill Tarter say it was a satellite.

I would love to think that maybe it was a moving spacecraft that we got the tail end of their communication to whomever/wherever it was going. That seems like the most intriguing possibility to me.

So, what's the big idea? Whats up with the different accounts? Jill Tarter doesn't say they confirmed it was a satellite, nor does she say anything else about it other than "it turns out it was a far off research satellite". That kind of ruined the fun for me.

reply to post by 48Donbray


Because she's wrong and has a vested interest as part of SETI? It has been 8suggested*, that it might have been some satellite not taken into account at the time. It is a slim possibility, yes, if she wants to claim it as *fact*, fair enough. I shan't be taking her word too seriously on some matters from now on. Truth is, I suspect she hates that signal ever existing, because they were never allowed to actually work on it past simply seeing it. Ergo, every-time she is asked about it, i would guess, she wishes it had never been publicised.

Nothing here about. a satellite..
www.thenakedscientists.com...

Nothing here about a satellite..
www.search.com...!_Signal

Nothing here about a satellite
www.pound360.net...

Nothing here about it
www.dailymail.co.uk...


Conclusion, White eyes scientists, seeking to curry favour and large amounts of wampum from heap big government, speak with forked tongue at times.

Great - hadn't heard about this, but if only! Nothing very interesting to add, just that if in many years it turns out to be a true signal from another place at least it'll always be known as "wow signal" which is a great name! Not the usual "Signal 467-H 2010P. Enis"

[edit on 19-4-2010 by markymint]

I think we are missing something obvious here. As to why the signal never appeared again.

We sent one out in 74 and never sent it again.
We received one in 77....

If I say hello to you on an IM, you say hello back. conversation etiquette then would suggest that you send the next IM perhaps stating why you have contacted me.

Though you can hardly call this an IM.

reply to post by FireMoon


Well that's what I was confused about. I see your many links to other sites with no mention of a satellite. I had also mentioned that the documentary Hyperspace didn't mention anything about a satellite either, and am weary of Jill Tarters response that it was a satellite, but I don't hear it anywhere else except the person that got the signal. So that part bugs me. I personally want it to be a real signal, but who knows.

Could have been a passing spacecraft or something. Who knows. I just hope the whole truth comes out in my lifetime.

reply to post by FireMoon


Well that's what I was confused about. I see your many links to other sites with no mention of a satellite. I had also mentioned that the documentary Hyperspace didn't mention anything about a satellite either, and am weary of Jill Tarters response that it was a satellite, but I don't hear it anywhere else except the person that got the signal. So that part bugs me. I personally want it to be a real signal, but who knows.

Could have been a passing spacecraft or something. Who knows. I just hope the whole truth comes out in my lifetime.

[edit on 19-4-2010 by 48Donbray]

Opinions on the WOW Signal are really very simple:

You have those who come to the logical rational conclusion that the universe in infinitely large with a seemingly infinite number of planets, so obviously there is other intelligent life out there. Taking that into account and also the fact that terrestrial origin was almost completely ruled out for the WOW Signal, one would have to logically rationally conclude that the WOW Signal was from intelligent extraterrestrial origin.

On the other hand, you have those who are irrational, illogical, close-minded and simply don't want to believe, for whatever reason, that there is other intelligent life in the universe. They will argue all day against the WOW Signal being from intelligent extraterrestrial origin, and instead they will keep insisting that it had to be from terrestrial origin. Or they will come up with some contrived quasar or planet collision theory.

Chances the WOW Signal was from intelligent ET origin = 99.99999%

Chances the WOW Signal was from terrestrial origin, a quasar, or planets colliding = .00001%



[edit on 20-4-2010 by Viper2]

Originally posted by FireMoon
Whatever it might or might not have been. To the best of my knowledge they are still refusing point blank to explain, exactly what the data actually meant. By that i mean , that, they are, apparently still refusing to even discuss how they interpreted the data at the time and what information, they actually believe the *message* contained.

Hmmm.....that's very interesting. Maybe the message confirms 100% certainly that it was sent by ET life, or maybe the message wasn't very friendly. Either way, if the government deciphered the message, they are probably covering it up.

Makes me think of the 97 movie Contact.... either way the Government doesent want the public to know. Luckily for us there is ATS

Originally posted by 48Donbray
Hi, I'm wondering why Jill Tarter says in a documentary that it was in fact a far off research satellite...

Before we start bashing Jill Tarter for making sacred-cow burgers, are you sure she was talking about the WOW! signal? I do know of an instance (Seth Shostak talked about on the 3/29 episode of Are We Alone?) where astronomers thought they had detected an alien signal and it was later discovered to be the SOHO satellite.