'3 Body Problem': Netflix sci-fi show makes mysterious Ohio State Wow! signal a plot point

Chad Murphy, Columbus Dispatch

A mysterious signal recorded by an Ohio State University astronomer in 1977 is getting a fictional explanation thanks to "3 Body Problem."

The Wow! signal is a plot point in the Netflix sci-fi series starring Jess Hong, Benedict Wong, Liam Cunningham and Eiza González, among others. Here's how. (And beware of spoilers!)

Ohio State radio telescope printout from 1977 at Dreese Lab at Ohio State. The word "Wow," written by Jerry Ehman, who found the signal's "tracks" on the printout.
Ohio State radio telescope printout from 1977 at Dreese Lab at Ohio State. The word "Wow," written by Jerry Ehman, who found the signal's "tracks" on the printout.

What is the Wow! signal?

The Wow! signal was detected by Ohio State’s Radio Observatory (known as the “Big Ear” telescope), which scanned for alien radio signals from 1973-95, according to the university. The 22-year search is the longest-running Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project in history.

Jerry Ehman was a volunteer who reviewed printouts of what the computer recorded from Ohio State University's “Big Ear” radio telescope, spotted a powerful signal recorded in 1977, circled it and wrote “Wow!” in the margin.
Jerry Ehman was a volunteer who reviewed printouts of what the computer recorded from Ohio State University's “Big Ear” radio telescope, spotted a powerful signal recorded in 1977, circled it and wrote “Wow!” in the margin.

On Aug. 15, 1977, the telescope picked up a mysterious signal originating near the Sagittarius constellation. Volunteer astronomer Jerry Ehman, surprised by the numbers he saw on a computer readout detailing the intensity of the signal, wrote “Wow!” next to the finding, coining its name. To this day, the Wow! signal remains the strongest candidate for an alien radio transmission ever detected, according to OSU.

After the Wow! signal was detected, scientists used radio telescopes with more sensitivity than the Big Ear to try to locate it again, but nothing was found.

Benedict Wong as nebulous governement agent Da Shi in "3 Body Problem."
Benedict Wong as nebulous governement agent Da Shi in "3 Body Problem."

How the Wow! signal is used in '3 Body Problem'

The series, adapted from a novel by Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin, tells of a "fateful decision" made in 1960s China that "reverberates in the present, where a group of scientists partners with a detective to confront an existential planetary threat," according to its IMDb description.

(Beware of spoilers ahead. If you want to go into the series fresh, click away now.)

In the series, the Wow! signal is a real message from intelligent aliens beyond Earth, according to Space.com. A Chinese astrophysicist responds by inviting the aliens to Earth — to humanity's detriment. In the series, the signal is covered up as a false alarm unique to the Ohio State University discovery.

What makes the Wow! signal so special?

According to Ohio State in a 2018 release, researchers have hypothesized that aliens would choose to communicate at a frequency near the one emitted by hydrogen, since it is the most common element in the universe. The Wow! signal occurred at almost exactly this expected frequency and was about 30 times more intense than the surrounding noise level.

“Over the years, people have considered different theories,” said Molly Gallagher, a graduate research associate in the Department of Astronomy, in the statement. “It’s not a comet. There weren’t any planets in that area at the time; there were not any known asteroids in that area that could have reflected light. … So, it sticks around in popular culture and in the scientific mind because it hasn’t been explained.”

What are some real-world theories about the Wow! signal?

So, if it wasn't aliens, what caused the Wow! signal?

In 2017, an EarthSky article suggested it was a comet.

At the time, Antonio Paris -- an adjunct professor of astronomy at St. Petersburg College, Florida, and ex-analyst of the U.S. Department of Defense -- and his team had new evidence two comets, 266P/Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs), were passing through the part of the sky the Big Ear Radio Observatory was surveying in 1977, when the Wow! signal was noticed.

They believe the signal came from a hydrogen cloud accompanying one of the comets. This idea would explain why the Wow! signal was not measured again: the comet that caused it moved on in its orbit.

According to Astronomy.com, we may never know.

“Was that E.T. or was it not E.T.? Nobody knows,” Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, tells Astronomy. “Nobody has ever found another explanation for what that might have been. It’s like you hear chains rattling in your attic and you think ‘My god, ghosts are real.’ But then you never hear them again, so what do you think?”

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: '3 Body Problem' features Ohio State's mysterious Wow! signal. Here's how

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