WOW! Signal Archives

The Wow! signal was a 72-second, intensely strong, narrowband radio transmission detected on August 15, 1977, by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope. Source

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

The Ohio SETI Program — The Last Decades

by Keith CowingJune 10, 2026

The Ohio State University Radio Observatory (OSURO), known as the Big Ear, played a pivotal role in both radio astronomy and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

The image shows the possible positions of the Wow! Signal in relation to the galactic Hi column density from HI4PI (HI4PI Collaboration et al. 2016). Gray boxes indicate the earlier reported positions (Ehman 1998), while the revised positions are marked with yellow boxes, each accompanied by its respective coordinates. -- astro-ph.HE

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Intelligence & Language, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

Arecibo Wow! II: Revised Properties Of The Wow! Signal From Archival Ohio SETI Data

by Keith CowingAugust 15, 2025August 15, 2025

The Wow! Signal, detected in 1977 by the Ohio State University SETI project, remains one of the most intriguing unexplained radio transients. The most recent significant revision of its properties […]

On August 15, 1977, the "Big Ear" radio telescope at the Ohio State University Radio Observatory located in Delaware County detected a highly unusual signal whose source has never been identified, raising the possibility that the signal may be the first record of contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The so-called "Wow!" signal received its name from the note Dr. Jerry Ehman wrote in the margin of this computer printout. This strange signal, unique in radio astronomy history, has never been recorded again. Larger image -- Ohio State University

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report, Stellar Cartography

Arecibo Wow! I: An Astrophysical Explanation for the Wow! Signal

by Keith CowingAugust 20, 2024August 20, 2024

The Ohio State University Big Ear radio telescope detected in 1977 the Wow! Signal, one of the most famous and intriguing signals of extraterrestrial origin. Arecibo Wow! is a new […]

Page from a logbook at an Inn in arctic Canada where Neil Armstrong and Edmund Hillary stayed during their trip to the North Pole in July 1985. Note the arrows and exclamation points added by someone later. Credit: Stephen Braham.

Away Teams & Field Reports, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, SETI & Technosignatures

Two ‘Wow’ Moments In The History Of Space Exploration

by Keith CowingDecember 16, 2023December 16, 2023

After his historic trip to the moon, Neil Armstrong became close friends with one of the first two humans to summit Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary. The two historic figures […]

Astronomy & Telescopes, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures

First Coordinated Green Bank Telescope/Allen Telescope Array Observes Possible Source of the WOW! Signal

by Keith CowingOctober 9, 2022October 9, 2022

In May 2022, the International Journal of Astrobiology published a paper suggesting a candidate source of the WOW! Signal: a possible Sun-like star in the Gaia Archive, 2MASS 19281982-2640123, located […]

Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures

SETI Anniversary: 45 Years Since The WOW! Signal

by Keith CowingAugust 15, 2022August 14, 2022

From Wikipedia: The Wow! signal was a strong narrowband radio signal detected on August 15, 1977, by Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope in the United States, then used […]