The Wow! Signal
A single 72-second signal that forever changed how we listen to the universe
4.2 (33)
51 mins
Explore how the Big Ear observatory captured a 72-second radio burst that remains one of the strongest candidates for extraterrestrial communication. Learn the narrowband signal’s rise, peak, and disappearance as investigators ruled out satellites, planets, and Earth-based interference.
Ep 1:
A Wow! Scribbled in Red Ink
In 1977, a volunteer astronomer's kitchen-table review of radio printouts uncovers an impossible signal—and one astonished word that would name a decades-long mystery.
Ep 2:
Four Clues, Four Impossible Questions
The signal's frequency, strength, and star-like motion scream alien beacon, but four unanswered questions—modulation, origin, and a strange one-horn glitch—keep certainty out of reach.
Discussions (13)
Beverly
Level 7 · 8 mo agoI disagree that we need a repeat signal for proof
Waylon
Level 4 · 8 mo agoIt was def just a comet.
Roman
Level 8 · 7 mo agoProbably a spy satellite.
