![]() This is the first time the signal itself is periodic." Astronomers detected a persistent radio signal from a far-off galaxy that appears to flash with surprising regularity. "Not only was it very long, lasting about three seconds, but there were periodic peaks that were remarkably precise, emitting every fraction of a second - boom, boom, boom - like a heartbeat. The results of this investigation, therefore, conclude that cometary spectra are detectable at 1420 MHz and, more importantly, that the 1977 "Wow!" Signal was a natural phenomenon from a Solar System body."It was unusual," said Daniele Michilli, a postdoc in MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. During observations of these comets, we detected a radio signal at 1420 MHz. Furthermore, to determine if comets other than comet 266/P Christensen emit a radio signal at 1420 MHz, we observed three comets that were selected randomly from the JPL Small Bodies database: P/2013 EW90 (Tenagra), P/2016 J1-A (PANSTARRS), and 237P/LINEAR. When the radio telescope was repositioned back to comet 266/P Christensen, a radio signal at 1420.25 MHz reappeared. During this experiment, the 1420.25 MHz signal disappeared. To dismiss the source of the signal as emission from comet 266/P Christensen, the position of the 10-meter radio telescope was moved 1° (60 arcminutes) away from comet 266/P Christensen. During observations of the comet, a series of experiments determined that known celestial sources at 1420 MHz (i.e., pulsars and/or active galactic nuclei) were not within 15° of comet 266/P Christensen. All radio emissions detected were within 1° (60 arcminutes) of the known celestial coordinates of the comet as it transited the neighborhood of the "Wow!" Signal. The investigation discovered that comet 266/P Christensen emitted a radio signal at 1420.25 MHz. From 27 November 2016 to 24 February 2017, the Center for Planetary Science conducted 200 observations in the radio spectrum to validate the hypothesis. ![]() In 2016, the Center for Planetary Science proposed a hypothesis arguing a comet and/or its hydrogen cloud were a strong candidate for the source of the "Wow!" Signal. Hydrogen Line Observations of Cometary Spectra at 1420 MHZ, Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, /research/the-wow-signal/ ( Paper PDF) The team then got a chance to test their idea as the two comets appeared once again in the night sky from November 2016 through February of 2017. Those comets, P/2008 Y2(Gibbs) and 266/P Christensen had not yet been discovered. The team noted that two comets had been in the same part of the sky that the Big Ear was monitoring on the fateful day. The explanation started to come into focus last year when a team at the CPS suggested that the signal might have come from a hydrogen cloud accompanying a comet-additionally, the movement of the comet would explain why the signal was not seen again. It was noted that the frequency was transmitted at 1,420 MHz, though, which happens to be the same frequency as hydrogen. ![]() Some outside the science community even suggested that it was proof of aliens. Possible sources such as asteroids, exo-planets, stars and even signals from Earth have all been ruled out. Since that time, numerous scientists have searched for an explanation of the signal, but until now, no one could offer a valid argument. Back in August of 1977, a team of astronomers studying radio transmissions from an observatory at Ohio State called the "Big Ear" recorded an unusual 72-second signal-it was so strong that team member Jerry Ehman scrawled "Wow!" next to the readout.
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