Arecibo Wow! is a search for transient radio signals inspired by the Wow! Signal
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Project Objectives
Project Objectives
Investigate Archived Data for Transient Signals: Systematically search historical radio astronomy archives, including those from Arecibo and other observatories, for unexplained broadband and narrowband transient radio signals, including those similar to the Wow! Signal.
Analyze the Wow! Signal: Re-examine the Wow! Signal using modern tools and techniques to evaluate its characteristics, origin hypotheses, and astrophysical context, seeking any clues that might explain its nature.
Preserve and Archive the Big Ear Telescope Data: Digitize, catalog, and safeguard all remaining data and documentation from the Big Ear radio telescope to support future analysis and historical research.
Conduct Observations to Search for Transient Signals: Utilize large and small radio telescopes to observe regions of interest for the sources of transient radio signals.
Engage and Educate the Public on Radio Astronomy Science: Develop educational programs, citizen science initiatives, and public outreach campaigns to promote awareness of the Wow! Signal, radio astronomy, and the ongoing search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
First Results: An Astrophysical Explanation for the Wow! Signal
First Results: An Astrophysical Explanation for the Wow! Signal
We hypothesize that the Wow! Signal was caused by a sudden brightening of the hydrogen line in interstellar clouds, triggered by a powerful transient radiation source such as a magnetar flare or soft gamma repeater (SGR). Maser flaring or superradiance mechanisms could have produced a narrowband emission consistent with the characteristics of the Wow! Signal. This hypothesis accounts for all observed properties of the signal and suggests it may represent the first recorded maser-like flare in the hydrogen line (Méndez et al., 2024).
Resources
Resources
1st Paper: Arecibo Wow! I: An Astrophysical Explanation for the Wow! Signal (General Summary)
2nd Paper: Arecibo Wow! II (in preparation for August 15, 2025)
The Arecibo Wow! Observatory
The Arecibo Wow! Observatory
The Arecibo Wow! Observatory is a new radio astronomy initiative currently under development. It integrates archival data from the Arecibo and Big Ear telescopes with new observations collected through the Wow@Home network of small telescopes, the Arecibo 12-meter radio telescope, and other instruments.
Archived data from the Arecibo Telescope (1963-2020)
Archived data from the Big Ear (1963-1998)
Arecibo 12m Telescope (coming soon)
SETI Institute LaserSETI (coming soon)
Research Team
Research Team
Abel Méndez, PHL @ UPR Arecibo
Kevin Ortiz Ceballos, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Jorge I. Zuluaga, SEAP/FACom Institute of Physics, University of Antioquia
Kelby D'Angelo Palencia-Torres, UPR Rio Piedras
Alisson Smith, UPR Mayagüez
Emmanuel J. Morales Butler, UPR Utuado
Héctor Socas-Navarro, European Solar Telescope Foundation
David Kipping, Columbia University
Hodari-Sadiki Hubbard-James, Agnes Scott College
Mariangelly Díaz-Rodríguez, Boing/Florida State University
Alondra Cardona, University of Arizona
Mai Le (undergraduate student), Agnes Scott College
Alejandro Ricón-Torres (undergraduate student), Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Arecibo Wow! Observed Targets
Arecibo Wow! Observed Targets
Teegarden's Star
Luyten's Star
Barnard's Star
Ross 128
TRAPPIST-1
Proxima Centauri
Tau Ceti
K2-18
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