The WOW! Signal, Part 2: Math Suggests Origin from Unknown Source, Moving Towards Earth

Just the facts:
PDF: Doppler Blueshift Calculations for WOW! signal (1977): download here | Discussion on the paper: Academia.edu

Preamble

In 2022, I published The WOW! signal, Part 1: Not made by humans?.
For the longest time (3 years), I wondered why I left the possibility open for “Part 2” instead of just writing “The End.”

It’s now become clear that Part 2 is essential because it includes an important detail that was missing before: EQUATIONS!

Anyone can write anything, but without mathematical equations, it’s just prose. So, here, now, for anyone to check, are the steps required to verify the movement of the Wow! signal towards Earth at 10.526 km/s in 1977.

This truly represents a significant paradigm shift. Previously, the Wow! signal was just the most plausible and only candidate for a radio transmission of non-human extraterrestrial origin in space. Now it is shown that this signal was moving and en route to Earth.

Whatever this means (We Are Not Alone?), it is remarkable that the Doppler calculations on this signal have never been published before. Did the authorities believe it would cause a panic?

Introduction

The Wow! signal has been the strongest and only serious candidate for ETi radio communication for almost half a century. New calculations support that the Wow! signal may have originated from a moving source heading for Earth, adding to its significance in the search for extraterrestrial life.

The text describes the Wow! signal, a strong radio transmission detected by the Big Ear telescope on August 15, 1977, at a frequency of 1420.4556 MHz, which corresponds to a wavelength of 21.105373 cm. The signal’s expected frequency, based on hydrogen, is 1420405751.768 Hz, translating to a wavelength of 21.106114054160 cm. The Doppler shift calculations yield a speed of approximately 10,526 m/sec (37,893 km/h), suggesting that the signal originated from an object approaching Earth. Shown here are the steps to calculate the Doppler shift speed. For context, the average speed of asteroids is around 18–20 km/s, while comets that impact Earth typically travel at about 30 km/s. In comparison, the human-made Voyager spacecraft 1 and 2 are currently traveling at speeds of 15 to 17 km/s.

Speed comparison
The WOW! signal source appears to have approached Earth at 37,893 km/h. The entry speed of the Apollo capsules into the Earth’s atmosphere was 39,705 km/h.

Image NASA: example of atmospheric entry, showing the Mars Exploration Rover aeroshell (MER).

For a better understanding, I added the illustration of the Mars Exploration Rover’s entry into the Mars atmosphere. NASA did choose this shape for its aerodynamic properties. It is possible that the Wow! signal originated from a UFO about to enter Earth’s atmosphere, as much as any other interpretation.

In conclusion, the Wow! signal appears to have originated from an unknown type of source that was approaching Earth at a speed of 10.5 km/s, as indicated by observations and these calculations. It is unknown if this is due to the source’s approach to Earth or the galaxy’s relative movement to Earth. Both scenarios are possible.

Investigations of the Wow! signal to date have not accounted for or mentioned the Doppler blueshift of the signal.

Doppler Shift Calculations for Wow! signal (1977), Page 1

Doppler Shift Calculations for Wow! signal (1977), Page 2

References:

1: Doppler Shift Calculations for Wow! signal (1977)
https://www.academia.edu/126982728/The_Wow_Signal_Doppler_Shift_Equations

2: ”The tantalizing WOW! Signal” by John Kraus, 1977, Archives of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, https://www.nrao.edu/archives/ﬁles/original/2ec6ba346ab16e10a10d09462507beda.pdf

3. Not Made By Humans? Part 2 / The Wow! Signal: Evidence Suggests Origin from Unknown Object, Moving Towards Earth
https://www.academia.edu/126983022/Not_Made_By_Humans_Part_2_The_Wow_Signal_Evidence_Suggests_Origin_from_Unknown_Object_Moving_Towards_Earth

4. Original publication:
Not made by humans? | Part 1, February 5, 2022, Contact Project
https://contactproject.org/?p=779

5. Searching for Interstellar Communications
by Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison
https://web.archive.org/web/20110403061008/http://www.coseti.org/morris_0.htm

6. An approximation to determine the source of the WOW! Signal
Alberto Caballero
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2011.06090

7. Wow! signal, Wikipedia
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal

8. “Ballad of the ‘Wow!’ Signal”, Paul H. Shuch, SETI League
http://drseti.org/audio/wow.mp3

PDF: The Doppler Blueshift Calculations for WOW! signal (1977):
download here

March 12, 2025March 12, 2025

The Wow! Signal: Debunked or Misunderstood?

The Wow! signal, a mysterious radio transmission detected in 1977, continues to provoke debate within the astronomical community. Some claim that the signal has been debunked, primarily by a new generation of undergraduate radio astronomers working within the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). These aspiring scientists often seek to make a name for themselves by challenging existing theories and offering alternative explanations for promising SETI candidate signals.

Recent Attempts to Debunk the Wow! Signal

The latest attempt to debunk the Wow! signal stems from undergraduates involved in the Laser SETI project. They recently published a thesis arguing that the Wow! signal was a byproduct of a strong natural radio emission from a nearby star, which purportedly excited a nearby hydrogen cloud. However, this theory is fraught with problems. To elaborate, not only has this behavior never been observed in nature, but calculations also indicate that no star could emit sufficient radiation to adequately excite a hydrogen cloud to produce such a signal—this discrepancy is by an order of several magnitudes.

Celebration and Media Reaction

In response to their findings, the students involved in Laser SETI celebrated their work with accolades and disseminated their conclusions through social media platforms, claiming to have “solved” the mystery of the Wow! signal. As is often the case, the media quickly picked up this narrative, declaring the Wow! signal debunked. Millions of readers absorbed this information without questioning its validity.

Contradictions in the Hydrogen Cloud Theory

Furthermore, it is important to note that the characteristics of the Wow! signal, as it was actually detected, strongly contradict the hydrogen cloud theory. Specifically, the signal exhibited a blue shift, indicating that it was approaching Earth, a behavior that is inconsistent with the expected properties of hydrogen clouds.

The Importance of Critical Examination

In conclusion, while the search for answers continues, it is crucial to approach claims of debunking with a critical eye. The Wow! signal remains one of the most intriguing phenomena in the field of radio astronomy, prompting continued investigation and discussion. Rather than hastily dismissing it, scientists and enthusiasts alike should remain open to the numerous possibilities the Wow! signal presents, as we persist in our quest to understand the cosmos.

Questioning the Intentions of SETI Researchers

The image below is from the presentation of Laser SETI regarding the Wow! signal. Is SETI supposed to find extraterrestrial intelligence, or is it employed to obfuscate and deny every credible claim?

Laser SETI astronomers Dr. Lauren Sgro and Dr. Franck Marchis, via YouTube

Look at the guys from Laser SETI grinning and giving the thumbs up sign. Whose side are they on? Do they believe that SETI serves as a lucrative venture, allowing them to conduct insignificant studies that yield no results, only to receive taxpayer funds into their bank accounts, all while feigning a diligent pursuit of truth and the advancement of humanity?

I have doubts.

Why did not ONE radio astronomer publish the Doppler calculations of the Wow! signal? Did they not even think of doing it?

Here are the equations, after 48 years:
PDF: Doppler Blueshift Calculations for WOW! signal (1977): [download here]

February 6, 2025May 11, 2025

The Wow! signal melody is released.

In the Key of the Cosmos: A Signal Sung from the Stars
“The Wow! signal melody” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and many others…

The Wow! signal melody, based on the sequence 6EQUJ5, 1977. Click to play or stop.

Consider, if you will, a sequence of symbols—6EQUJ5—etched into the annals of astronomy, a cryptic whisper from the depths of space. Once, it was a burst of radio waves, the Wow! signal, a fleeting enigma that haunted our telescopes. Now, in February 2025, it has become a melody. A human act of alchemy, transmuting mathematics into music, static into song.

Here, in this humble arrangement, the numbers and letters unfurl as notes: a progression both melancholic and yearning. The sixth scale degree hums with cosmic longing; the flattened seventh bends like spacetime itself. A raised fourth pierces the silence, a dissonant cry from the void, while the fifth—an anchor—grounds us in the familiar. Together, they form a lullaby for the universe, a sequence as old as hydrogen yet as new as dawn.

Is this what it sounds like when the cosmos composes? Or is it merely our own reflection, a mirror held up to the dark? We cannot know. Yet in these six notes, stretched across octaves and human imagination, we hear the ache of isolation—and the fragile hope of connection.

Perhaps, as in Close Encounters, we have always spoken to the unknown in the language of music. A minor seventh resolves; a chord trembles. The same mathematics that binds atoms may yet bind civilizations.

For now, the melody lingers: a question mark set to rhythm, a cipher unsolved. A reminder that in the grand fugue of the universe, even static may hold symphonies. We need only listen—and dare to reply.

I found myself pondering how the letters and numbers from the Wow! signal notation 6EQUJ5 might translate into a melody. Initially, the idea of creating a song from these characters seemed quite improbable. You can now listen to the track by clicking on the cover art. It’s my first single! We haven’t expanded these six notes yet.

Erich Habich-Traut

Based on the standard diatonic scale and common chord progressions, here’s a breakdown of the likely tonal values:

Individual notes:

* 6: This is typically the sixth scale degree of the major or minor scale, creating a major or minor sixth interval from the root. It often adds a sense of yearning or longing.

* e: This is the third scale degree, creating a major or minor third interval. It’s a consonant and stable note, often used in melodies and harmonies.

* q: This likely refers to the flat seventh scale degree (b7), creating a minor seventh interval. It adds a bluesy or jazzy flavor and can create a sense of resolution when moving to the root.

* u: This might refer to the raised fourth scale degree (#4), creating an augmented fourth interval. It’s a dissonant and unstable note, often used to create tension and drama.

* j: This likely refers to the flat sixth scale degree (b6), creating a diminished fifth interval. It’s also dissonant and can add a bluesy or jazzy feel.

* 5: This is the fifth scale degree, creating a perfect fifth interval. It’s a consonant and stable note, often used in melodies and harmonies.

Here’s a possible melody in C major, using the provided notes (6, e, q, u, j, 5) with a melancholic feel and simple piano rhythm.

Melody:

C (5) – E (e) – G (5) – A (6) – G (5) – E (e) – D (q) – C (5)

Rhythm:
Each note is played with a quarter note duration (a steady beat).

Piano Playing Style:
Play with a gentle touch and sustain the notes slightly for a more expressive sound. Experiment with dynamics (louder and softer notes) to create a sense of ebb and flow.

Key Considerations:
Melancholic Feel: The descending line from A to G and the use of the minor seventh (D) contribute to the melancholic mood.

Simplicity: The repetition of the melodic phrase and the consistent quarter note rhythm create a sense of simplicity and introspection.

WOWsignal #closeencountersofthethirdkind #closeencounter #UFO #ufology #ufologia #alternative