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Has the 40-year Old Mystery of the 'Wow!' Signal Been Solved? (newatlas.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the truth-is-out-there dept.

"Astronomers have confirmed that the Wow! signal, thought to be the most promising detection by SETI of alien life, was actually caused by a comet," writes schwit1. New Atlas reports: Last year, a group of researchers from the Center of Planetary Science proposed a new hypothesis that argued a comet might be the culprit. The frequency could be caused by the hydrogen cloud they carry, and the fact that they move accounts for why it seemingly disappeared. Two comets, named 266/P Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs), happened to be transiting through that region of space when the Wow! signal was detected, but they weren't discovered until after 2006. To test the hypothesis, the team made 200 radio spectrum observations between November 2016 and February 2017. Sure enough, 266/P Christensen was found to emit radio waves at a frequency of 1,420 MHz, and to double check, the researchers moved their radio telescope by one degree. As expected, the signal vanished, and only returned when the telescope was trained back on the comet.

60 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Solved? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So it's a moving object that is emitting a signal at 1420 MHz. I'm not sure how that changes anything.

    1. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 4, Funny

      At this point. I have heard all sots of excuses for it. It has never been repeated. The odds of it being from an intelligent source, are REALLY fucking low. If they were gonna send us something, they'd probably send something with more bits, unless they figured we could (and would) decode it from that. Dunno but I bet any aliens sending messages aren't stupid. They're gonna make it easy to decode. Call it a hunch...

      Yeah, just a hunch... I could be wrong and an advanced alien species could be sending messages but making them difficult to decrypt because they're just jerks like that. Damned aliens.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re: Solved? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Maybe not difficult to decrypt but simply sending it in a way we cannot detect. Imagine you're sending using radio equipment and are trying to communicate with a society with a medieval technology standard. What kind of information will they get from you?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re: Solved? by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      The odds of it being from an intelligent source, are REALLY fucking low.

      Just curious, but how did you determine the odds of it being from an intelligent source?

      And is "REALLY fucking low" more or less than 0.000000001? And in either case, how were the odds determined?

      If they were gonna send us something, they'd probably send something with more bits

      I'm assuming you have evidence that what we got wasn't the edge of a message that was pointed this way for a comparatively short time by blind chance while sending a much longer message to someone else?

      Myself, I tend to assume that absent any evidence, there's no point in deciding what something is or isn't. Aliens, a comet, whatever. We didn't know before, we don't know now. Included among the "don't know's" is the probability it was aliens....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    4. Re: Solved? by William+Baric · · Score: 1

      What about a signal from God himself? Or maybe this signal was caused by Xenu when he escaped from his prison! Or maybe it was coming from the space station that Hitler built when he escaped from his bunker!

      Imagination is great, but there's a moment when we must be rational and accept the reasonable explanation. And no, believing this was a signal from an "intelligent source" is not reasonable at all. One thing is for sure, rejecting this reasonable explanation because it goes against our desire and dreams is also not reasonable.

    5. Re: Solved? by rholtzjr · · Score: 1

      Maybe we should also mandate to the aliens that encryption is not allowed on an open transmission media like the Intelligence community wants.

    6. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      So they're assuming we're idiots?

      Hmm.... That actually has potential.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    7. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Umm.., I admit it's simple math and extrapolation, but the odds of that signal being sent by a sentient being are pretty low. Are you gonna argue that the odds of it being sent by a sentient being are greater than it being sent by a natural source or improper instrumentation? I could be wrong, but I think we're all kinda in agreement about the source of noise, as to the most probably reasons. *shrugs* You can be right, however. I'm not scared.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    8. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure how you read my post and figured out I'd assumed it was sent on purpose.

      In fact, I'm pretty sure it's not valuable data, at all, with regards to sentient alien species. I have no idea how you went from one to the other. In fact, I'm kinda confused and thinking maybe I wrote the exact opposite of what I meant.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    9. Re: Solved? by AchilleTalon · · Score: 2

      To put things in perspective, the Milky Way is about 100 000 light-years in diameter. The Sun is located about 25 000 light-years from the center. So far, the very first radio signal human made sent from the Earth hasn't reach that many solar systems. In a sphere of 49 light-years from the Sun, there is about 208 stars of absolute magnitude 8.5 and brighter. Keep in mind the strength of a radio signal is proportional to the inverse of the square of the distance between the sender and the receiver.

      --
      Achille Talon
      Hop!
    10. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Ha! I agree!

      We should mandate that AND that they have to wear a jersey that supports their favorite professional sports team. It's okay, even if it's bowling. They gotta wear that shit, or we're gonna kick them out of the galaxy.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    11. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Huh...

      I want to be mean. However, I don't have it in me. Well, I do - but I'm not 100% sure you're wrong. I am 100% sure that you're wrong, if your're looking at animal mutilation as a source of data.

      First, I'm going to say this...

      I respect you for having the courage to put that out there. No, I am not kidding.

      Second, I like to pretend that I'm not, but I am kinda the exact definition of scientist. I smashed data together and predicted throughput for traffic. I'd later go on and model pedestrian traffic.

      I'd ask that you'd not hold that against me. I am, at the core, a Ph.D. which, really, means I'm a philosopher of doctoring. Yup, I'm a doctoring fool. My degree is in Applied Mathematics. It's kinda easy to verify this claim. I kinda suck at hiding and pretending to be someone else.

      Now... Well, now you know that.

      Are you sure you want to keep up that line of argument? I should tell you that I've actually given [redacted]. I do not discount alien visitation, interaction, or observations, by default. I may have even spoken on the probabilities of life existing outside of this solar system. [Redacted.]

      There's no credible evidence that livestock mutilation is done by an extraterrestrial source. Do you get that? No credible evidence exists to support the hypothesis that it is caused by an extraterrestrial source. Please don't read into my statement more than what I have written. I am not saying it is impossible. I am saying that no credible evidence exists to support it. And, trust me, I look.

      As a mathematician, I have spoken at [redacted] and will say that it is my opinion that aliens exist. I will go even further and say that I'm pretty fucking convinced that intelligent aliens exist. Where I draw the line is in saying that they've interacted with humans. I am willing to say that the probability of aliens existing, intelligent lifeforms, is as close to 1:1 as one could hope. I am unwilling to assign my name to any beliefs beyond that.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    12. Re: Solved? by jimtheowl · · Score: 1

      The opposite is quite possible though.

      I was trying to eat a pigeon in a french restaurant that was tough as nail, then I noticed something on its leg.

      It was a little piece of paper which I unrolled.

      On it is said:
      We attack at dawn. Napoleon.

    13. Re: Solved? by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      Are you sure you want to keep up that line of argument?

      What line of argument? I have no idea what is out there, I just thought you'd be interested in the video. You said If they were gonna send us something, they'd probably send something with more bits, unless they figured we could (and would) decode it from that. Dunno but I bet any aliens sending messages aren't stupid. It turns out there are several events meeting that criteria that you may not have been aware of.

      There is not enough time between the posts for you to have watched the video and it talks about more than cattle mutilations. This lady is a reporter drawing from multiple sources and presenting the things she finds.

      I respect you for having the courage to put that out there. No, I am not kidding.

      Thanks, I see things that aren't being explained because they are taboo and I don't think being dogmatically skeptical in our ignorance serves us anymore. I used to think that UFOs were just cover stories for spy plane operations, now I'm not so sure.

      I saw this last night and thought 'holy shit, WTF?'. I know that there are smarter people than I here so I've got nothing to lose by being a fool by asking.

      There's no credible evidence that livestock mutilation is done by an extraterrestrial source. Do you get that? No credible evidence exists to support the hypothesis that it is caused by an extraterrestrial source. Please don't read into my statement more than what I have written. I am not saying it is impossible. I am saying that no credible evidence exists to support it. And, trust me, I look.

      Would you elaborate please because that is no different from someone saying the complete opposite and asking me to trust them. What does credible evidence look like, how was unexplained phenomenon explained and does the explanation make sense?

      Like many /.rs I respect your opinion, I wouldn't bother posting otherwise. I've never subscribed to UFO phenomenon, I've never seen one, I don't know so I'm asking for people to take a ride to what could be crazy town for their opinion because I think that wisdom comes from challenging presumptions.

      I am kinda the exact definition of scientist.

      If you have time to watch the video I'd be interested in what you think because the message is describing technology and motivations far beyond our understanding. The definition of terrifying.

      [Redacted.][Redacted.][Redacted.][Redacted.]

      This is why this subject is so fraught with prejudices. It is not an open subject, it's all MAJIC knowledge.

      As a mathematician, I have spoken at [redacted] and will say that it is my opinion that aliens exist. I will go even further and say that I'm pretty fucking convinced that intelligent aliens exist.

      So is it mathematically possible that more than one sort of alien exists and that one of them is hostile towards us?

      Where I draw the line is in saying that they've interacted with humans.

      I don't know if or what sort of alien technology exists or how evolved they are so I have no idea where to draw the line with what they are capable of, so how would we actually know?

      This lady presents information, from more than one source, that one alien race is trying to warn us about another alien race that is hostile towards us and to be prepared.

      Sure, it could be a hoax, but if it isn't we are all fools.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    14. Re: Solved? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I think you missed the point. Granted it's just a plot device to keep stories moving but a lot of sci-fi programs have their cast communicating with each other using faster-than-light technologies so as to support near real time communications (e.g.: subspace in Star Trek). It's at least possible that more advanced species, especially if they're space-faring, would be communicating with something more advanced than radio signals. e.g.: maybe quantum entanglement for point-to-point... who knows what for broadcast?

    15. Re: Solved? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      What we could have observed is the equivalent of a transformer from the radio equipment blowing up and us Napoleonians thinking it's some kind of light signal.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    16. Re: Solved? by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      No, quite the opposite. They might consider us way more advanced than we are.

      Take our Acecibo message. To decipher that message, you need to have a civilization with advanced radio equipment to detect it in the first place, with the capability to store it so it isn't just received and potentially missed, the knowledge of statistics to understand that this is actually not a natural phenomenon but a coded message, enough mathematical understanding to decipher it...

      And all that also pretty much assumes that they wanted to communicate with us. More likely, though, if this actually IS some sort of messaging system, we're just the natives sitting on our island while the interstellar cargo ships send messages in ways we can't even possibly understand, and what we see there might as well have been an explosion from a transformer that cooked off.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    17. Re: Solved? by l0n3s0m3phr34k · · Score: 1

      In regards to the inverse square law, most of our signals become undistinguishable from background noise beyond a few light years. Digital signals are even weaker than analog, and "degrade" faster in relation to being readable faster. Only when we purposely beam out very powerful signals like Arecibo message do our signals really get very far.

    18. Re: Solved? by lgw · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure how you read my post and figured out I'd assumed it was sent on purpose.

      Perhaps it's your sig. :)

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    19. Re: Solved? by lgw · · Score: 1

      binary messages from, crop circles

      Well, given crop circles come from bored farmers (heck, most of them early in the craze came from the same guys, doing it full time), it wouldn't surprise me at all that they contained messages.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    20. Re: Solved? by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      I don't think it is that simple. Lots of them are created by humans. No doubt. Lots of them cannot possibly be created by humans alone. They are too precise and carry too much meaning.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    21. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      > Would you elaborate please because that is no different from someone saying the complete opposite and asking me to trust them.

      My bad - I neglected to mention that I'm familiar with Linda and the subject matter. I love to watch that stuff.

      Anyhow, what you have from her is conjecture, supposition, and willful ignorance. Well, I assume it's willful - it appears to be.

      In the case of livestock mutilations, the damage has perfectly normal reasons. There's predation, vultures, and insects. There's bloating which, if you've not seen it in person, does all sorts of horrific looking things to corpses. The blood isn't missing - it's pooled, leaked, and/or consumed.

      For crop circles, those are made by humans. We've had many humans come forth and tell us how they created them - they'll even show you how they created them. It's pretty neat and often involves things like a plank of wood and some rope. I'm kinda impressed with their creativity and the simple methods that they use.

      Anyhow, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. She just takes evidence and decides it means what she wants it to mean and then ties things together when there's no association between them.

      I... Umm... My guilty pleasure is watching all this stuff. Very, very few of the mysteries they cover are actually mysteries. Usually, there's a handy Wikipedia article that has actual sources at the bottom of the page.

      I have actually spoken on this subject, to a crowd of ufologists. My talk was about the mathematical probabilities of intelligent life existing on other planets. In my talk, I conclude that I have zero reason to doubt the existence of said life. (I was redacting this last night, 'cause it can raise a whole lot of questions from a bunch of ACs and I don't feel like answering them all today.) In my talk, we discussed things like the Drake equation.

      I have no doubt that intelligent life exists on more planets than Earth. However, I see zero evidence that suggests extraterrestrial activity on this planet.

      Let's try a simple thought experiment...

      Why would an alien species come to the planet and make crop circles or mutilate cows? Surely, they have better methods of communication. Surely, they've had time to study our communication. Surely, they've had time to observe our behaviors. To even get here, they'd have to be intelligent.

      Why would they abduct us? How could all these governments keep it a secret? Why wouldn't they just tell us that they're here - or avoid us entirely?

      The problem is, as I see it, people trying to invent something bigger than themselves. I *want* credible evidence that suggests aliens are here. I *want* to believe.

      So far, no evidence exists - that I'm aware of. We have a method to establish belief. It's called science. Nobody is going to lose their career by proving extraterrestrial activity. In fact, proving it would rocket them to fame and fortune.

      Which should not be seen as me suggesting you stop looking or believing. I'm just telling you why I don't currently believe. I keep an open mind.

      That said, I love the stuff. I watch way more of that sort of stuff than I want to admit to. You may already know of these folks, but here's a link - just in case you don't:

      Rabbit hole.

      At this time, however, there's just conjecture, speculation, and (probably) disparate events that people use to make claims without actually providing proof. I have her talk playing now - but she's spoken on this subject before. She's been in the circuit for a while now. She's fun to watch but she's not a scientist. By that, I don't mean that she doesn't have the degree, I mean she's not using the scientific method.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    22. Re: Solved? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I gotta smoke less pot.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    23. Re: Solved? by lgw · · Score: 1

      Too precise? What's "too precise" for humans? The available precision in corn stalks isn't very fine grained, and many crop circles were done by a group that had effectively made it their profession.

      Too much meaning? Whatever meaning humans are capable of deducing from them, humans are capable of encoding into them.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    24. Re: Solved? by mvdwege · · Score: 1

      Maybe not difficult to decrypt but simply sending it in a way we cannot detect.

      But how is this essentially any different than a belief in the existence of God or Angels? Believers have also come up with various explanations why we can't detect such things, but in the end SETI runs into the same issues.

      --
      "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
    25. Re: Solved? by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

      I think the point is that we may not have developed the technology. The first radio telescope wasn't developed until the 1930s, more than 300 years after the first recorded use of a telescope for astronomical purposes. The first gravitational telescope discovery came barely more than a year ago.

      I'm not holding my breath for the imminent discovery of intelligent alien life, but I also realize that how we see the universe will change over the next four hundred years probably at least as much as it's changed over the last four hundred years. Maybe in that time, we'll discover a signal, or someone else will discover ours. That's being open to the discovery of an alternate method of observation with one possible result, which is not the same as simple faith.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    26. Re: Solved? by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      If it took us less than 100 years to get from flight to landing on the moon, what the fuck has humanity been doing in this form for the last 299,900 years.

      A (wild!) theory goes that human sentience did not emerge as a result of physical evolution, but as an accidental artefact born from culture and language. So at one point you would have anatomically modern humans but without the self-awareness that we now take for granted.

      Take for granted. You've just described leaving the Garden of Eden, or the Buddha outside the Walled Garden. The architypical human self-aware realizing that he will one day die now has to labor for the future, knows he is naked and has become a slave.

      Perhaps it happened in bursts or some other way.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    27. Re: Solved? by mirandash · · Score: 1

      I think unlikely that we're alone in the universe. But even if we are, one day we'll create some

    28. Re: Solved? by MrKaos · · Score: 1
      Sorry about the late reply KGIII

      My bad - I neglected to mention that I'm familiar with Linda and the subject matter. I love to watch that stuff. Anyhow, what you have from her is conjecture, supposition, and willful ignorance. Well, I assume it's willful - it appears to be.

      This is the second of her videos I've watched. I decided long ago that the answer to if unidentified alien craft exist is essentially unknowable until I am standing in front of one.

      I've always thought it was more than likely a group of people being encouraged to believe that something was a UFO as cover for military operations of spy aircraft. The thing that intrigues me is more and more information is coming out about commercial pilots seeing uacs so I don't know what to make of it all. I do know that putting a stigma around people who risk sharing their stories is not going to uncover the truth of these matters.

      In the case of livestock mutilations, the damage has perfectly normal reasons. For crop circles, those are made by humans.

      I've never seen a mutilation, but I have seen carcases partially eaten by animals, it's a mess.

      I like looking at crop circles because they are beautiful however it is hard for me to believe that every single one of them is created by teams of dedicated circle jerkers who go around making intricate designs.

      An acceptable analysis to me would be to have a cross report on as many crop circles as possible and the defining characteristics to determine what patterns emerge. I don't know what it proves without further investigation however it *seems* to me to be an acceptable first step in the process of a scientific analysis though. What do you think?

      Anyhow, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. She just takes evidence and decides it means what she wants it to mean and then ties things together when there's no association between them.

      She is a journalist, so she is doing her job and reporting her thesis based on peoples experience. I'm inclined to give the people reporting their experiences the benefit of the doubt, because whilst whatever they experienced made an impact, commonalities in peoples stories could be suggesting that something is happening that is beyond our understanding. That's when we need to pay attention to facts that don't support the theory and challenge knowledge filtration.

      Maybe one or two experiences could be written off and who knows, maybe all it proves is that someone really is putting hallucinogens into the water. Seems more feasible than aliens on earth. I don't know.

      I have actually spoken on this subject, to a crowd of ufologists. My talk was about the mathematical probabilities of intelligent life existing on other planets. In my talk, I conclude that I have zero reason to doubt the existence of said life. (I was redacting this last night, 'cause it can raise a whole lot of questions from a bunch of ACs and I don't feel like answering them all today.) In my talk, we discussed things like the Drake equation.

      I'm impressed that you don't get sucked into your equations and not get detached from reality, every time I'm presented with interesting math in computing I get sucked into it and loose all sense of time. I'm no mathemetician though. Do you model the equation on a star map or something and apply it to a region of space? I would like to read your paper if it is available.

      I have no doubt that intelligent life exists on more planets than Earth. However, I see zero evidence that suggests extraterrestrial activity on this planet.

      What constitutes evidence of extraterrestrial activity?

      Let's try a simple thought experiment...

      I don't think it can be a simple thought experiment, I think it would be an intellectual challenge to grasp what motivates a space

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    29. Re: Solved? by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      Too precise? What's "too precise" for humans? The available precision in corn stalks isn't very fine grained, and many crop circles were done by a group that had effectively made it their profession.

      Sorry, I'm not an expert however I think they are beautiful, so maybe you're right and that are all just an art project. Perhaps a comparison of the characteristics of these things and see what emerges from that data, even if it is to establish they are all pranks.

      Too much meaning? Whatever meaning humans are capable of deducing from them, humans are capable of encoding into them.

      True that, however anyone sending us a message would want us to understand it too so I'm just trying to balance keeping an open mind and healthy skepticism.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  2. Wow! by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    They should rename the comet after the first observers, even if it was in radio waves.

  3. Did they try to decode the message? by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 2

    Maybe some poor bastard's been stuck on that comet for the last 40 years.

    1. Re:Did they try to decode the message? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

      They did - it just said "be sure to drink your Ovaltine".

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    2. Re:Did they try to decode the message? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Damn. Finally we get a message from outer space and of course it has to be spam.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Did they try to decode the message? by RandomFactor · · Score: 1

      It was actually Genuine Imitation Ovalqwik, not Ovaltine.

      --
      --- Mercutio was right.
    4. Re:Did they try to decode the message? by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      And the recording tape device was a genuine Panaphonic. Or was it the Sorny?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    5. Re:Did they try to decode the message? by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      Maybe some poor bastard's been stuck on that comet for the last 40 years.

      The signal has one bit, it could mean either 0 or 1, we have yet to figure out what. Once we do we can take action!

    6. Re:Did they try to decode the message? by corydoras · · Score: 1

      There's no message to decode; it was an unmodulated signal.

  4. Comets do that by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    since the Aliens program them that way

    1. Re:Comets do that by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 4, Funny

      since the Aliens program them that way

      I wonder if they spew chemtrails as well?

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    2. Re:Comets do that by lgw · · Score: 1

      I wonder if they spew chemtrails as well?

      Of course they do - that's why Pluto turned gay and had to be exiled from the Plant Club! Damn chemtrails making everyone gay.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
  5. Very advanced aliens by GuB-42 · · Score: 4, Funny

    So we thought that aliens were just emitting radio signals and we now discover that they are actually sending us comets.
    Very, very impressive.

  6. No, no it wasn't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://naapo.org/WOWCometRebuttal.html

    1. Re:No, no it wasn't by H3lldr0p · · Score: 4, Informative

      That would seem to cover everything.

      Everyone! Pack it in. We still have a mystery to solve.

    2. Re:No, no it wasn't by Bite+The+Pillow · · Score: 4, Informative

      Sometimes, pedantry can be good. You really have to have backup. Remember this.

    3. Re: No, no it wasn't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah THEY don't have a conflict of interest here.

      Look up the position of 266/P Christensen yourself.

      Science runs on evidence. Politics runs on reputation. Don't confuse the two.

    4. Re:No, no it wasn't by Raphael · · Score: 1

      http://naapo.org/WOWCometRebuttal.html

      Another detailed rebuttal on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Astro... Well worth reading. Also, take a look at this comment from last year that gives a bit more background info about the author of that study: https://www.theguardian.com/sc...

      --
      -Raphaël
  7. WTF Who wrote this? by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Title: Has the mystery been solved?
    Summary: The mystery has been solved!
    Article: Researches have a hypothesis about the mystery.

    Slashdot desperately needs some editors to check submissions before they make the front page.

    1. Re:WTF Who wrote this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The premise that Aliens would send on a signal the same frequency as emitted by Hydrogen was intended to be used for scanning distant stars. The random blip was confused for WOW when the researcher didn't understand WHY they were looking for that frequency or didn't put 2 and 2 together that this is exactly what a comet would look like in Radio Frequency reporting.

  8. Re:lol theyre stupid by PPH · · Score: 1

    comets dont have radios

    Yes they do

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  9. Re:lol theyre stupid by KGIII · · Score: 1

    Well... Not with that attitude they don't.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  10. They were busy ... by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... working on the "Meh" signal.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  11. Re:Carriage of the Gods by KGIII · · Score: 1

    I need to write up an essay and direct donations to their nearest ACLU - and somehow claim that the ACLU is doing "god's work."

    Trivially related: I get some interesting responses when I show that the ACLU has, time and time again, defended the 2nd Amendment.

    I shouldn't have to add this, but I don't believe in God, so I don't believe in "God's work." Sadly, Slashdot has changed a bit and I am feeling obligated to point that out.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  12. Interstellar DRM by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    an advanced alien species could be sending messages but making them difficult to decrypt because they're just jerks like that

    Aliens have lawyers too, and we haven't paid for the rights to those messages.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  13. So a comet is emitting a specific frequency? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nobody's asked the question yet, so I, Anonymous Coward will.

    What kind of natural phenomenon would cause a comet - an icy chunk of rock - emit radio waves at 1420MHz specifically and not at other frequencies?

    1. Re:So a comet is emitting a specific frequency? by jafiwam · · Score: 1

      Nobody's asked the question yet, so I, Anonymous Coward will.

      What kind of natural phenomenon would cause a comet - an icy chunk of rock - emit radio waves at 1420MHz specifically and not at other frequencies?

      1420MHz is where they were looking, based on an assumption about what ET would do to transmit. Multiply it by Pi or 2xPi and there is reasonably empty space on the spectrum. It's also meaningful because you'd be looking at that frequency to map stuff in the universe. So, if you want to be seen, you use it, or a non-culturally-centric meaningful frequency.

      It is the "electron flip" frequency of hydrogen. So it only means there were hydrogen atoms or hydrogen gas there.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_line

  14. Betteridge says no by fnj · · Score: 1

    Betteridge says no.

  15. Harper's index by epine · · Score: 1

    Base rate for humans running around with their hair on fire over some anomaly that later proved to be something entirely different: ludicrous speed.

    Base rate for humans inventing various super-beings and spirits and pseudo-species out of whole cloth: surely nothing to sneeze at.

    Number of star systems beaming fake intergalactic news at ever higher levels of transmission power until crystal diodes are exploding everywhere: zero (give or take).

    Furtive space aliens on a "two hour cruise" who chanced into near-earth proximity at any point in the last 1000 years: well, you just never know.

  16. commet by Rekso · · Score: 1

    so the sounds come from a rock,

  17. Re:Fixed by 0111+1110 · · Score: 1

    The premise behind SETI have never been detection of a signal specifically directed at us

    Actually no. The premise, at least until quite recently, has always been a narrowband and ideally modulated continuous wave RF signal in the 'water hole' between 1.42 and 1.66 Mhz directed right at us. If not directly at our planet at least at our star. Radio leakage is so weak that it is generally indistinguishable from noise after a few light years and many frequencies are attenuated into near nonexistence before they even make it out of the atmosphere.

    --
    Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.