News Space

The historic ‘Wow!’ signal may finally have a source. Sorry, it’s not aliens

Detected in 1977, the signal had features of extraterrestrial communication

A piece of paper with strings of numbers and letters printed on it, with one line circled in red pen and "Wow!" written in that same pen in the margin

A printout of data taken at the Big Ear Radio Observatory in Ohio in 1977 prompted its discoverer to write “Wow!” in the margins. The signal has befuddled astronomers ever since.

Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO)

By Lisa Grossman

One of the most compelling potential signs of extraterrestrial communication might have an astrophysical explanation.