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The Signal From Space That Never Came Back
The Signal From Space That Never Came Back
One night in the summer of 1977, an unusual signal was detected when a radio telescope looked out into space.
It was a powerful indication indeed. It lasted only 72 seconds, and then it was gone.
Since then, it has never been observed.
It was known as the ‘Wow! signal’ and has since become one of the most famous mysteries in alien hunting.
The tale started at Ohio State University’s gigantic Big Ear radio telescope. On August 15, 1977, the radio signal was very powerful, around the hydrogen frequency, and the telescope was pointing at the sky.
A few days later, astronomer Jerry Ehman was reading through the computer printout. He noticed a series of characters which seemed distinct from the others: 6EQUJ5.
He went around the circle and wrote one word next to it: “ wow!”
It was given its name by that handwritten reaction.Its name came from that handwritten reaction. The reaction, handwritten, gave it its name.
What was interesting about it?
The strength of the signal rose and fell with the rotation of the Earth, the pattern would be…
