Strange Signals
Wow! Signal
A strong narrowband radio signal detected by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope in 1977 and never confirmed again. The current file compares 11 source reports across 7 evidence blocks and 1 explanation block.
Case identity
11 reports / 7 evidence blocks / updated Jul 27, 2026Date
Aug 15, 1977
Location
Sagittarius region, radio observation
Category
Strange Signals
Status
Well-Documented Mystery
30-Second Summary
What happened?
A strong narrowband radio signal detected by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope in 1977 and never confirmed again.
What is documented?
The current file compares 11 source reports across 7 evidence blocks and 1 explanation block.
Current consensus?
The signal was genuinely recorded and remains scientifically interesting, but no repeat or independent confirmation supports a strong alien-technology claim.
84Signal
Overall investigation significance score.
96Reality
How strongly evidence supports that the event occurred.
44Debunk
How strongly conventional explanations explain the event.
62Residue
How much unexplained material remains.
Signal basis: score reflects visible report volume, direct evidence blocks, freshness, and search interest. Individual evidence and explanation strength is shown inside the workspace so the top score has visible provenance.
Your read
Source Overview
Read the case through the reporting
This is a quick map of the file. The full source list, media, excerpts, and confidence labels live in Reports so the case page does not repeat the same dossier twice.
Primary source / Archive / Aug 15, 1997
Ohio State University Radio Observatory - Wow! 20th Anniversary Report
Ohio State University Radio Observatory Archive
Primary source record. Open Reports to inspect the source trail.
#2 / Archive / Date unknown
Candidates for the 1977 “WOW” Signal – The Center for Planetary Science
Archive source material related to this case.
#3 / Analysis / Date unknown
SETI and radio-signal follow-up literature
Ohio State University Radio Observatory Archive provides source material for Wow! Signal.
#4 / Archive / Date unknown
The Wow! Signal: Intercepted Alien Transmission? : DNews
36 years ago, a brief radio signal was detected by an observatory in Ohio. Could it have been an extraterrestrial transmission? Contin…
Case workspace
Understand the event before judging it
Start here if you are new to the case: what happened, why people still care, and what the archive currently thinks.
What happened?
A strong narrowband radio signal detected by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope in 1977 and never confirmed again.
What the file contains
The current file compares 11 source reports across 7 evidence blocks and 1 explanation block.
Current read
The signal was genuinely recorded and remains scientifically interesting, but no repeat or independent confirmation supports a strong alien-technology claim.
What to inspect next
Why the signal is high
This case has multiple accessible sources and visible reporting history. Use the evidence, explanation, and report confidence layers to separate durable facts from repeated claims.
Case Verdict
Best current interpretation
Strongly supported
Ohio State University Radio Observatory Archive provides source material for Wow! Signal.
Likely explained
This case still needs a stronger dedicated debunk source; current interpretation should remain conservative until better analysis is attached.
Still unresolved
Was the source astrophysical, terrestrial, or instrumental?
The signal was genuinely recorded and remains scientifically interesting, but no repeat or independent confirmation supports a strong alien-technology claim.
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