On August 15th 1977 a strange signal from the constellation Sagittarius was received by the Big Ear radio telescope. The signal known as the ‘Wow!’ signal reached an intensity up to 30 times higher than the usual signals detected and it had a duration of 72 seconds. Its name comes form the side note which was written at the moment it was discovered by astronomer Jerry R. Ehman.

Ehman was a collaborator at the SETI project, a project which was set up to search for extraterrestrial intelligence by NASA in 1960. The Wow! signal is among all the strange signals received up to now, the one that has the greatest likelihood of having been emitted by intelligent lifeforms despite its origins still being uncertain to this day.

With technology advancing faster than ever, and more and more discoveries being made every day, is the day we contact extraterrestrial life almost here?