What is the Wow signal? [Fraser Cain]

In 1977, radio astronomer Jerry Aiman ​​scanned observational data from the Big Ear radio telescope. He was looking for evidence that extraterrestrial civilizations are trying to broadcast information using radio waves, rather than space rockets. He wanted to prove that we can communicate with aliens on a hydrogen radio line. During the search, any noticeable noise was recorded in a series of monotonous data. But the radio frequencies of the Universe were in no hurry to please the searchers with an answer.

But then Eiman noticed such an unusual signal that he even circled it with a red pen and wrote “Wow!” With a red pen! With an exclamation mark! True, just one, do not worry.

Eiman circled several characters - 6-EQUJ-5 - separating them from the rest of the units and deuces in the data stream. What does this code mean? Is this a mysterious message from unearthly civilizations? Why does it start with a six and end with a five? What are they trying to tell us?
From the moment that Eiman wrote the red pen “Wow!”, This signal was called the “wow signal”, which caused speculation by the SETI researchers and aliens, as well as caused confusion with the game World of Warcraft.

It is important to understand that the Big Ear radio observatory did not receive these symbols directly in the message. The observatory received radio signals coming from the constellation Sagittarius near the globular star cluster M-55. Each character in this diagram corresponds to approximately ten seconds of listening. When the telescope picked up a signal, it recorded the intensity with one character, using the numbers 1 to 9 and the letters A to Z. The highest intensity is indicated by the letter “U” in the middle.

That is, looking at this diagram, you see that at first there is practically no radio signal, then, as the Big Ear antenna approaches the signal source, it becomes more intense and intense, and then fades out again.

Astronomers tried to trace the signal, but it disappeared. He was caught only once, and he did not appear again in this, nor in any other area. Were these aliens? “Dr. Eiman and other astronomers have explored this area more than fifty times in search of a signal.” To no avail. They reused the Big Ear at the Oak Ridge Observatory, and then the more powerful Extra Large Antenna Array.

Eiman himself doubted that he had caught a signal from an extraterrestrial mind; he was not even sure that the signal came from outside the solar system. He suspected that it could be a secret military satellite or a radio signal of terrestrial origin, which was reflected from space debris. But such a hypothesis does not explain everything. If it was a satellite, then the signal would be recorded in other places and at different times as it moves around the Earth. But no one else noticed him.

It is logical to assume that an extraterrestrial mind could communicate in this range. That would probably have been done by those who want to send a clear message to everyone in space. But the signal is a point source, which means it must first be conveyed to a specific star or planet in the Milky Way.

We will probably never know the truth. We simply do not have enough data to reveal this secret to the end. But I advocate the search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. Such unsolved mysteries suggest that we should not stop. It doesn't matter if we find new alien friends or new unexplored sources of radio emissions, it's worth it.

By the way, in addition to jokes, in 2012, at the Arecibo Observatory, researchers sent a message from the Earth, which contained messages, tweets and photographs. The signal was sent in the same direction as the “Wow!” Signal came from. I hope that the aliens will like it, they will be sad and they will open their space for the most harmless planet in the world.

Unfortunately, the “wow signal” is not sufficient confirmation that the aliens are trying to contact us. Most likely, we are simply polluting space with fragmentary radio signals.