The WOW signal enigma persists after 48 years
91The WOW! signal continues to intrigue science almost half a century later
On August 15, 1977, Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope picked up an extremely intense, short-lived radio signal coming from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. Astronomer Jerry R. Ehman, impressed by the signal's strength and clarity, wrote "WOW!" in the margin of the printout—and thus was born one of radio astronomy's greatest mysteries.
🧩 Why is the signal so enigmatic?
Unusual intensity: The signal had a very high signal-to-noise ratio and narrow bandwidth, characteristics that don't fit with known natural phenomena.
Unknown origin: Despite numerous attempts, it has never been detected again. This raises hypotheses ranging from comets to extraterrestrial civilizations.
Location: It was recorded in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, a region rich in celestial objects, but no source has been identified.
🧪 New hypotheses
Researchers at the Planetary Habitability Laboratory (PHL) at the University of Porto suggest that the signal may have been caused by a rare astrophysical event—such as the sudden brightening of a cold hydrogen cloud stimulated by a transient radiation source, such as a magnetar flare or a soft gamma-ray repeater.
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