OTD in Space - Aug. 15: 'Wow!' Mystery Signal Boosts Search for E.T.
- 2 years ago
On Aug. 15, 1977, astronomers using Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope detected the famous "Wow!" signal. [‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series on Space.com](https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html)
To this day, it is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that we are not alone in the universe. Astronomer Jerry Ehman was using the telescope to scan a region in the constellation Sagittarius when it detected a weird, 72-second-long radio burst. The signal was too strong to be explained by background noise, and researchers determined that it was very unlikely that this signal came from anything on Earth. Despite their best efforts, astronomers have not been able to detect any other signals like it.
To this day, it is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that we are not alone in the universe. Astronomer Jerry Ehman was using the telescope to scan a region in the constellation Sagittarius when it detected a weird, 72-second-long radio burst. The signal was too strong to be explained by background noise, and researchers determined that it was very unlikely that this signal came from anything on Earth. Despite their best efforts, astronomers have not been able to detect any other signals like it.