Mysteries Department
Sign inRequest access
0

What does the rest of the Ohio SETI archive say about the signal's statistical company?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of What produced the Wow! signal?·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: the Wow! signal is unique in the archive in strength and shapeAhead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. The Wow! signal is unique in the archive in strength and shape. leads, with evidence 1 for: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

The programme logged more than 40,000 transient narrowband events over 25 years and most of the digitised archive has never been analysed⁠[1]. Whether Wow!-like events are unique or the bright tail of a population bears directly on the hydrogen-flare and interference readings.

Answers 3

Evidence: 1 for
Most likely
Evidence: 1 for
Still possible
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

  1. Méndez et al. puts forward: it is the brightest of a population of similar transients, natural or interference, recorded by the telescope.
  2. Méndez et al.: the 2025 reanalysis used previously unpublished archive data and found that cold hydrogen clouds produce…For: It is the brightest of a population of similar transients, natural or interference, recorded by the telescope.
  3. Méndez et al. puts forward: the Wow! signal is unique in the archive in strength and shape.
  4. Méndez et al.: the programme's own staff describe it as the only event of its kind in 25 years.For: The Wow! signal is unique in the archive in strength and shape.
  5. Asked on this site
Add evidence
1What it bears on2What you found3Where it comes from
Which answer?
Does it count for or against it?
In a sentence, what did you find?
What you found optional
Where it comes from optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Propose an answer
Your answer, in a sentence
What would rule it out? optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Ask a sub-question
Your question
Why it would help optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Add a source
The source
What it shows about this question optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.

Discussion 0

Add to the discussion