Detected in 1977 by Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope, the WOW! Signal bore the hallmarks of extraterrestrial origins.

After data was initially recorded, Astronomer Jerry Ehman was so impressed by the result that he circled the signal’s intensity “6EQUJ5” and wrote “Wow!” beside it —

This exciting event and resulting signal has led to the widely used name, “The Wow! Signal.”

Although the “6EQUJ5” sequence lasted about 72 seconds, it has not been detected since. Despite several subsequent attempts, including attempts by Jerry Ehman, The Wow! Signal remains the strongest candidate for an ET radio transmission ever detected.

…Which is reason enough for the HDA to adopt the name for our own newsletter.