In 1977, a radio telescope in Ohio picked up a 72-second signal so powerful that the astronomer on duty wrote 'Wow!' in the margin. Nearly 50 years later, no one has heard it again. Was it aliens, a cosmic fluke, or something we haven't even imagined?
A comprehensive introduction to the most tantalizing signal ever detected by SETI. Learn how a routine printout from Ohio State's Big Ear telescope became one of science's greatest unsolved mysteries.
The full technical breakdown: the 6EQUJ5 sequence, the 1420 MHz hydrogen line frequency, and why astronomers believed this signal matched the exact profile of extraterrestrial communication.
Jerry Ehman's own detailed account of discovering the signal, written for the 30th anniversary. Primary source material from the man who wrote 'Wow!' in the margin.
A deep dive into the competing theories — from passing comets to magnetar flares — and why each proposed explanation has been met with fierce scientific debate.
Discover Magazine explores the romantic notion that the Wow! Signal might be the universe's greatest missed connection — a message sent once across the cosmos that we were just barely in position to hear.
The Smithsonian covers the 2024 hypothesis that a magnetar flare caused stimulated hydrogen emission, potentially explaining the signal without invoking extraterrestrial intelligence.
After decades of searching, no telescope has ever detected the signal again. This video explores why the silence might be more terrifying than the signal itself.
The most powerful SETI search ever conducted turned its instruments toward the Wow! Signal's origin — and found nothing. The cosmic silence endures.