Wow

THE WOW SIGNAL

August 15, 1977 – The Wow! signal was a strong, narrowband radio signal detected by the Ohio State University Radio Observatory, commonly known as the Big Ear radio telescope during a search for extraterrestrial radio emissions led by Jerry R. Ehman. When reviewing the computer printout several days later, Ehman circled the unusual data and wrote the word “Wow!” in the margin, giving the signal its famous name.

The signal lasted for 72 seconds, which was the time Big Ear could observe a point in the sky as Earth rotated. The signal was extraordinarily strong compared with background radio noise. It was detected near the 1420.406 MHz neutral hydrogen line, making it especially intriguing because that frequency has long been considered a natural choice for interstellar communication.