Wow! signal's mystery: New findings reveal possible magnetar origin
One of the most intriguing puzzles in astronomy has become even more fascinating, writes the Live Science portal. It’s all because of the mysterious "Wow!" signal, which got its name from a comment written on a printout from the Big Ear telescope in 1977. Until now, scientists had assumed the transmission could be confirmation of extraterrestrial life.
The large red-lettered "Wow!" on a sheet with a numeric printout has become almost iconic in the scientific world. This is the work of astronomer Jerry Ehman, who noticed the mysterious transmission on a printout received by the aforementioned Big Ear telescope belonging to Ohio State University. The discovery is now almost 50 years old, as the cosmic "eye" picked up the signal in 1977 during a routine scan of space looking for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence – it reads.
Mysterious signal from space
Big Ear recorded waves for 72 seconds from the vicinity of the Sagittarius constellation, which were transmitted at an "extremely specific frequency of 1420 MHz". Scientists noted that hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, naturally emits radio waves at this frequency, leading astronomers to suspect that this would be the frequency chosen by aliens to try to contact Earth.
The problem, however, is that the "Wow!" signal was never picked up again, and no logical explanation was found for it. Until now, because the mysterious contact has been examined by Abel Méndez from the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico. The scientist suspects that "Wow!" may be a chance detection of an extremely intense flare hitting an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas. Such a strong flare could have been emitted by a dense, magnetic star known as a magnetar.
Have scientists solved the mystery?
– This is a very rare phenomenon, Méndez said in conversation with Live Science. The scientist notes that he is still astonished that astronomers managed to detect it. At the same time, the expert explains that in his recent studies, the results of which were published in the journal "The Astrophysical Journal", his team detected eight signals similar to the "Wow!" signal from 1977.
The signals were very similar and were transmitted at a frequency of 1420 MHz. Each of the eight signals lasted from two to three minutes, and although they were generally 50 to 100 times weaker than the original transmission, scientists emphasize that this is because the signals were not illuminated by a magnetar. The results suggest, however, that in 1977, Big Ear was directed at one of the hydrogen clouds ejected by a magnetar, and it was this cloud that the telescope recognized – not a signal from an alien civilization.
