SHGb02+14a or the 'wow' signal

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Profile Wowbagger, the Infinitely Prolonged

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Message 1175345 - Posted: 3 Dec 2011, 10:29:24 UTC
Last modified: 3 Dec 2011, 10:30:06 UTC

i think i got the number correct...anyway ,has there ever been a definitive explanation for this signal?
also has there been anything since that has generated a lot of excitement ?
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Message 1175371 - Posted: 3 Dec 2011, 13:46:20 UTC
Last modified: 3 Dec 2011, 13:49:57 UTC

Checking this one out, it is number 20. in the list on the Classic web-pages.

Go to http://seticlassic.ssl.berkeley.edu/Candidates/SHGb02+14a/SHGb02+14a.html and you will be able to read more about this candidate.
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Message 1175505 - Posted: 3 Dec 2011, 23:59:43 UTC - in response to Message 1175371.  

ok cheers!!
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Message 1176986 - Posted: 10 Dec 2011, 4:12:59 UTC - in response to Message 1175345.  

Looks like the signal came from the direction of Sagitarius
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Message 1177121 - Posted: 10 Dec 2011, 18:59:22 UTC - in response to Message 1176986.  
Last modified: 10 Dec 2011, 19:12:01 UTC

No, my friend.

Here you get it wrong, unfortunately.
That signal you are thinking about is the famous WOW signal.
This signal came from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius.

The exact co-ordinates for the WOW signal were:

RA= 19h25m31s ± 10s / 19h28m22s ± 10s . (± means the same as +/-).

Declination= −26°57′ ± 20' .

There were two different co-ordinates estimated or derived for the R.A., because the signal was detected in two different "horns" of the radio telescope being used (at Ohio State University) which gave two different positions for the R.A.

If you look at the designation, SHGb02+14a, the approximate co-ordinates for this candidate signal (still down at number 20 in that list) was about 2 H (or Hours) of R.A. (Right Ascencion, I guess) and +14 D (Degrees) of Declination.

This means within the constellation of Aries.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal for this information.
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Message 1177360 - Posted: 11 Dec 2011, 23:54:44 UTC

To be honest, I doubt that signal actually occurred. Or if it did occur, it was not something that came from space. It was never found again, he had no precise location where it was from, and I think his setup was a bit crude. I read that professionals have already examined the area around where he found the signal, and nothing was ever found after that. Therefore, I'm extremely skeptical about the Wow! signal.
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Message 1177638 - Posted: 13 Dec 2011, 2:11:12 UTC - in response to Message 1177360.  

pity we cant find it again.......dam.
sounds like it could have been Terrestrial in origin?
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Message 1178671 - Posted: 16 Dec 2011, 21:57:16 UTC
Last modified: 16 Dec 2011, 22:15:03 UTC

According to the sources, the WOW signal was a strong narrowband signal coming from space.

Here is my question: Is there any correlation between possible signal strength and the numbers which are typically being returned by the Seti@home client?

Without too much going on right now, many tasks return pulses which are having a score less than 1.02. Similarly, those gaussian scores better than 2-3 are not too common either. Also most triplets are 11-13 at their best and almost all spike scores are "nominal" - typically -0.15 or lower than that.

These numbers do not represent signals at all. If a pulse got better than 1.10, I guess power and period for such a pulse also plays a role.

What is then needed? Can it be detected at all?
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Message 1178811 - Posted: 17 Dec 2011, 11:54:58 UTC - in response to Message 1177360.  

To be honest, I doubt that signal actually occurred. Or if it did occur, it was not something that came from space. It was never found again, he had no precise location where it was from, and I think his setup was a bit crude. I read that professionals have already examined the area around where he found the signal, and nothing was ever found after that. Therefore, I'm extremely skeptical about the Wow! signal.


Just because the signal was never found again doesn't mean it was never sent. I believe the Wow! signal is the first true contact from another civilization in our galaxy. Just think about some of the signals we have sent out they didn't repeat. Maybe the Wow! signal was just their first attempt at contact.
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Profile William Rothamel
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Message 1178902 - Posted: 17 Dec 2011, 18:22:09 UTC - in response to Message 1178811.  

The signal, I presume, was carefully examined to see if it contained a message that would indicate intelligence. Apparently it didn't. Therefore, if all of this is true, it would not have been sent by an extraterrestrial intelligence.
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Message 1178930 - Posted: 17 Dec 2011, 19:31:06 UTC

Oh you never know, perhaps someone from the cleaning crew accidentally hit the transmit button. ;) It's still exciting to think about the possibilities.

Happy Holidays to everyone at S@H and all of the participants!
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Message 1179075 - Posted: 18 Dec 2011, 16:12:54 UTC
Last modified: 18 Dec 2011, 16:19:25 UTC

Due to the long signal integration time used, the wow signal, detected at Ohio State University in 1977, could not be examined for intelligent content. The entire signal was averaged out into several broad time periods. No other data was collected. The intent was not to decipher but merely to detect the presence of such a signal. We have no basis for saying that the signal did or did not have intelligent content. The signal was narrow enough in bandwidth to be of an apparently technological nature. The reasonable inference was made that the signal source was at a distance greater than that of our Moon. This was because it showed no movement, other than that caused by the rotation of the Earth. A closer object would presumably have shown independent motion. That an Earth-launched satellite at greater than lunar distance was the source seems very improbable. Such distant satellites are used for research and are not secret.No evidence of such a satellite, in the appropriate location in space, has come to light. A secret satellite of the surveillance sort would be highly impractical at such a great distance from Earth.
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Message 1179105 - Posted: 18 Dec 2011, 18:38:32 UTC - in response to Message 1178811.  

The closest star to the WOW signal is Tau Sagittarii, a K1 or K2 giant, a slightly cooler and larger star then our Sun; I m not sure if such a star would offer the conditions for a planet with life. I m not sure how hold is the star. Being cooler that the sun and larger, the planet would have a Venus orbit I would think. To the experts out there, is there any evidence of any planets aroud this star? It is plausible that the WOW signal was the signature given off by an ET craft or setalite something akin to the Voyagers. It just happens that a radio telescope captured the signal. Would make sense not to detect the signal again if the craft/probe was moving across the sky, the location would change. Same thing would happen if an alien antenna detected the radio signals from the Voyagers, the signals would change continously because of the Voyager's movement across the galactic plane.


Ï„ Sagittarii Observation data

Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Sagittarius
Right ascension 19h 06m 56.4s
Declination -27° 40' 14"
Apparent magnitude (V) +3.32
Distance 120 ± 7 ly
(37 ± 2 pc)
Spectral type K1+IIIb
Other designations
40 Sagittarii, HR 7234,
HD 177716, SAO 187683,
HIP 93864
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Message 1179108 - Posted: 18 Dec 2011, 18:52:29 UTC - in response to Message 1178902.  

SHGb02+14a or the 'wow' signal was detected again.

Probably the signal was not from a fixed source, alien antenna on purpose trying to make contact. More probable it was from a moving alien craft/probe, unless the alien scientits turned on the antenna by mistake and gave off their location.
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Message 1179167 - Posted: 19 Dec 2011, 0:20:52 UTC - in response to Message 1179108.  

SHGb02+14a or the 'wow' signal was detected again.

Probably the signal was not from a fixed source, alien antenna on purpose trying to make contact. More probable it was from a moving alien craft/probe, unless the alien scientits turned on the antenna by mistake and gave off their location.


I'm afraid not, according to the references used at Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal#Searches_for_recurrence_of_the_signal
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Profile William Rothamel
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Message 1179181 - Posted: 19 Dec 2011, 2:13:18 UTC - in response to Message 1179075.  
Last modified: 19 Dec 2011, 2:14:20 UTC

Was the signal modulated. Was it of constant amplitude when the rotation was taken into account? What was the exact frequency? I don't understand your comment that the signal could not be examined for intelligent content. It was detected during a SETI endeavor wasn't it ? So why would it not be examinable? Was it Gaussian? How good was the curve fit?
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Message 1179194 - Posted: 19 Dec 2011, 4:20:09 UTC - in response to Message 1179181.  

Yes it was a guassian. They were just collecting raw data so there was no tape recording of it. just letters and numbers corresponding to the strength of the signal received. We aren't actually looking for someone shouting HELLO into the night. We are just looking for a consistent signal from a single point in space


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
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Message 1179351 - Posted: 19 Dec 2011, 19:00:52 UTC - in response to Message 1179194.  
Last modified: 19 Dec 2011, 19:03:22 UTC

Yes it was a guassian. They were just collecting raw data so there was no tape recording of it. just letters and numbers corresponding to the strength of the signal received. We aren't actually looking for someone shouting HELLO into the night. We are just looking for a consistent signal from a single point in space

Then any quasar or rotating x ray source would be a possible target. I guess that if the signal repeated then they would analyze it. I have already posted that this repeated signal idea could be a failed strategy. They wouldn't know we are here. So there would not be a continuous broadcast in our direction only a random beacon shot. I hope that this is not the way we are doing seti now.

If the WOW signal was from another civilization then it would have contained information of where it was coming from and unmistakeable indications of advanced intelligence.
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Message 1179375 - Posted: 19 Dec 2011, 20:12:31 UTC

Had the source of this signal come from that of an alien satellite then it's
host planet would be just too far away to make this form of communication
with it at all practical. Had this signal emanated from an alien spacecraft
this signal could then only be intended to be picked-up by another alien
space craft in fairly close proximity. If this signal emanated from a stray
alien satellite lost in space this craft would be far to old to still be
functioning regardless of what type of power being used to operate it's
communications systems.

Can it be confirmed that this signal did not emanate from one of our own
or one of Russia's satellites, active or virtually inactive at that time.
The Kite Fliers

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Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.
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Message 1179425 - Posted: 19 Dec 2011, 23:45:54 UTC - in response to Message 1179194.  
Last modified: 20 Dec 2011, 0:41:58 UTC

Good day! This is a discussion about the signal "wow" or some other? How is it:"...so there was no tape recording of it"?
Audio recording of the WOW Signal you can listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSWDzd2cDU&feature=player_embedded
Audio recording of the Radio source SHGb02+14a - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpFtSkK5Xhw
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