Join the Search for the Wow! Signal With a $500 Yard Radio Setup

It’s been almost 50 years since astronomers detected essentially the most well-known area sign we’ve ever acquired—a 72-second radio burst that lit up a printout at Ohio State’s Big Ear radio telescope in 1977. The surprised researcher, Jerry Ehman, circled the weird spike and wrote one phrase within the margin: “Wow!”

Since then, the Wow! Signal has fueled limitless hypothesis from alien contact theories to cosmic flukes. However, scientists may now be getting closer to the truth. And right here’s the twist: you may assist.

Scientists Reopen the Case

Researchers on the University of Puerto Rico’s Planetary Habitability Laboratory have spent years digging via archived SETI knowledge, revisiting the sign with trendy evaluation instruments. Their newest findings recommend that the sign possible originated from a pure astrophysical occasion, reasonably than an alien transmission.

It might have been attributable to a uncommon flare from a magnetar or delicate gamma repeater, making a sudden brightening of hydrogen radio waves in deep area.

“This study doesn’t close the case,” lead researcher Abel Méndez said. “It reopens it, but now with a much sharper map in hand.”

Join the Search From Home

Enter Wow@Home, the staff’s citizen science initiative that lets novice astronomers be part of the seek for comparable cosmic indicators. The kicker? You don’t want a NASA-sized price range.

Here’s what you might want to get began:

Here’s a breakdown of the tools you’ll want to affix Wow@Home:

• A Software Defined Radio (SDR) dongle – ~$30
  A USB-powered radio receiver that captures wideband radio indicators.

• A low-noise amplifier (LNA) – ~$20
  Boosts weak radio indicators earlier than they’re processed.

• A directional antenna – ~$100–150
  Think: a helical or Yagi antenna to focus on particular components of the sky.

• A Raspberry Pi or mini PC – ~$100–200
  Runs the scanning software program and syncs with Wow@Home’s database.

• Cables, connectors, weatherproofing, and mounting {hardware} – ~$50–100

• You’ll additionally want to put in Wow@Home’s free software program, which handles sign evaluation and uploads fascinating findings to a shared database.

You received’t be alone. Dozens of small-scale stations can run 24/7, accumulating radio knowledge that enormous observatories typically can’t seize as a result of restricted scheduling.

Why It Matters

The Wow! Signal might not have been a telephone name from aliens—however it nonetheless holds clues about how vitality strikes via the galaxy. And for the primary time, non-scientists have a shot at contributing to the subsequent massive discovery in radio astronomy.

With the fiftieth anniversary of the Wow! Signal approaching in 2027, the race is on to unlock its secrets and techniques. You don’t want a PhD to participate—just a bit curiosity and a few DIY spirit.

This story was initially reported by Men’s Journal on Aug 28, 2025, the place it first appeared within the News part. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.