Was the Wow! Signal Alien?

Jerry Ehman's original handwritten "Wow!"
Photo credit: The Ohio State University Radio Observatory and the North American AstroPhysical Observatory


It was August 15, 1977, when astronomer Jerry Ehman was examining data coming from Ohio State University's radio telescope, which was engaged in listening for signals from deep space, hoping to find something of intelligent origin. In a moment that's since become one of the most famous events in astronomy, he saw a sequence of six characters on the printout — 6EQUJ5 — which caught his attention. So much so, in fact, that he circled the text, and wrote "Wow!" in the margin.
It was, apparently, a signal from outer space. It came from the direction of Sagittarius. The strength of the signal was represented by the digits 0-9 and the letters A-Z, a scale of 36 levels of intensity, rising with 6EQ and ... (Read the rest at http://skep.us/4342)

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#skeptoid #skeptic #skepticism #science #Brian_Dunning #wow #seti #aliens #ohio_state_university #jerry_ehrman #john_kraus #big_ear #aliens_&_ufos #general_science

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