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.
Ep 3:
Ruling Out Earth, Facing the Stars
Scientists methodically eliminate planets, satellites, aircraft, and Earthbound transmitters, then venture into exotic physics and probability itself to explain why this signal vanished without a trace.
Ep 4:
Decoding the Signal's Raw Power
A numbers-driven dive into just how sensitive Big Ear was and how staggeringly strong the Wow! Signal really was compared to background cosmic noise.
Ep 5:
An Echo We're Still Chasing
From Sagan's golden record to a mysterious tainted star, the search for alien contact widens—leaving the Wow! Signal's true meaning forever tantalizingly unresolved.
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.
