This signal was picked up from deep space in 1997 & still has never been explained…

26 Apr 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:50

In 1977, the Big Ear radio telescope recorded a mysterious, narrow‑band radio burst that lasted 72 seconds and originated from the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. Astronomer Jerry Ehman, while reviewing the data, highlighted the anomaly with a single handwritten note: "Wow!" – giving the event its iconic name. Subsequent attempts by various observatories to point at the same sky coordinates have never detected a repeat of the signal, leaving its source unknown. The video narrates the signal’s discovery, its distinctive characteristics, the exhaustive but fruitless follow‑up searches, and the ongoing debate between natural astrophysical explanations and the speculative possibility of an extraterrestrial intelligence.

Chapters

In 1977, a radio telescope picked up a signal so strange, scientists still talk about it today. It was detected at Big Ear Radio Telescope. Astronomer Jerry Ehman was reviewing data. Then he saw something unusual: a strong narrowband signal, lasting 72 seconds. It stood out immediately, because natural space sources don't usually behave like that. It came from the direction of Sagittarius, deep space. Ehman was so shocked, he circled the data on the printout and wrote a note. Just one word: "Wow!" That became its name. The Wow! Signal. Scientists tried to find it again. They pointed telescopes back at the same spot. Nothing. No repetition, no explanation. It never appeared again. To this day, no one knows what caused it. Some suggest natural cosmic sources, others wonder about intelligent origin, but nothing has been proven, and the mystery remains. A single burst of radio energy that lasted just over a minute and then disappeared forever.