Astronomers revisit 1977's iconic "Wow!" interstellar signal with a wild new theory

Astronomers propose a new theory for the 1977 Wow! signal, suggesting it was a rare cosmic maser from a magnetar hitting a hydrogen gas cloud.

: In 1977, astronomer Jerry Ehman discovered the Wow! signal, sparking theories about extraterrestrial origins. New research by Méndez, Ortiz Ceballos, and Zuluaga suggests it was caused by a magnetar striking a cold hydrogen gas cloud, producing a maser. This hypothesis, based on Arecibo data, meets skepticism as it involves a rare and unobserved cosmic event.

In 1977, Jerry Ehman identified a unique and powerful radio burst using the Big Ear telescope at Ohio State University, marking the data with a red 'Wow!' as it seemingly hinted at extraterrestrial communication. Physicists Morrison and Cocconi had theorized that intelligent aliens might use the 1420 megahertz frequency, the same produced by this signal, to communicate across space, but the signal's origin remained a mystery for decades as it was never detected again.

Recently, astrophysicists Abel Méndez, Kevin Ortiz Ceballos, and Jorge Zuluaga proposed a new idea in a non-peer-reviewed preprint that a magnetar's blast hitting a cold hydrogen gas cloud, causing it to emit a laser-like beam known as a 'maser,' could explain the Wow! signal. They examined archival data from the Arecibo Observatory and found multiple similar radio signals between February and May 2020, though less intense, further spurring their hypothesis.

While the hypothesis provides a new avenue for understanding these enigmatic signals, notable skepticism remains. SETI astronomer Jason Wright questioned the scenario's plausibility given its rarity and the lack of direct observation of such events. Nonetheless, if correct, this idea could reshape how scientists interpret potential alien signals as false alarms caused by cosmic phenomena.

Wow signalmagnetarastrophysics