WOW!! No Wait it Might have been a Comet

[Gord_in_Toronto]

On August 15, 1977, SETI astronomer Jerry R. Ehman was tending the Big Ear radio telescope, at Ohio Wesleyan University's Perkins Observatory, when the instruments recorded a curious spike in the data at 10:16 p.m. EST.

Ever cautious about jumping to conclusions, SETI astronomers have kept this signal in their case files, waiting for repeat occurrence, but have not gone so far as to officially say that it was aliens. The best guess as to its source, however, is that it could ... maybe ... have been a lone signal from some alien civilization out in space.

A new study may have the answer to this mystery, though.

According to a paper penned by astronomer Antonio Paris and space science writer Evan Davies, it wasn't aliens. It was comets.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/the-wow-signal-aliens-or-just-comets/62275

"The Mills of the Gods Grind Slowly but they Grind Exceedingly Fine".

 

[marplots]

So aliens live on comets? I guess.

 

[Corsair 115]

Comets are sentient?!?

 

[smartcooky]

Do I believe that a comets emit EM radiation at or near the H1 line? Yes, it seem reasonable given the generally accepted composition of comets.

Do I believe they do so at a power level 30 times greater than BG noise level . No, I do not. Surely, if this were the norm, then comets would be blasting out an unmistakeable signal at round 1420 MHz, right where SETI astronomers are listening!

 

[Craig B]

Do I believe that a comets emit EM radiation at or near the H1 line? Yes, it seem reasonable given the generally accepted composition of comets.

Do I believe they do so at a power level 30 times greater than BG noise level . No, I do not. Surely, if this were the norm, then comets would be blasting out an unmistakeable signal at round 1420 MHz, right where SETI astronomers are listening!

There were 2 comets around at the time. Maybe they crashed into each other and went "toot" at 1420 MHz.

Although they weren't actually discovered until 2006 and 2008, respectively, comets 266P/Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs) were both traced back to that area of space at that time. Therefore, the combined hydrogen clouds from these two comets could be responsible for this signal.​

 

[marplots]

Comets are sentient?!?

WOW.

 

[Craig B]

Comets are sentient?!?

If black clouds are, why not comets?

 

[smartcooky]

There were 2 comets around at the time. Maybe they crashed into each other and went "toot" at 1420 MHz.

Given the stated reason for the H1 line emissions by comets, i.e. the release of energy caused by the ionization of Hydrogen when the water vapour being sublimated from the comet's surface is bombarded by solar radiation, can you explain the mechanism by which two colliding comets would cause a sudden surge in 21cm radiation, and thereby causing your "toot"?

Although they weren't actually discovered until 2006 and 2008, respectively, comets 266P/Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs) were both traced back to that area of space at that time. Therefore, the combined hydrogen clouds from these two comets could be responsible for this signal.​

If they both passed right through the middle of the reception lobe, I would be more inclined to believe, but the alignment was far from close.

Firstly you can see that the two comets clearly were nowhere near colliding anyway.

Secondly, the Big Ear antenna main lobes were very sharp, only 8 x 40 arcmin at the -3DB points (shown by the two red ovals overlaid on the WOW area of sky) and its design resulted in near non-existent side-lobes. On the day in question Comet Gibbs was 75 arcmin away from the Big Ear's lobe; that is a long way outside. Comet Christiansen was even further at 95 arcmin. I haven't calculated exactly, but that far outside of the main lobes' 3DB points, a signal detected in the lobes would be conservatively 21DB down on the actual signal level.... every 3DB is a doubling/halving of the signal level, so in order for these comets to appear to have 30x the background level inside the lobes, they would have to be actually radiating at about 128 times more strongly... about 3800 times the background level... a brilliant beacon at 21cm. Every comet coming into our region of space would be blasting 21cm radio signals so "loud" that it simply could not be missed. It would be like having a 500w spotlight pointed straight in your face from 20 feet away. Unmissable!