The Ohio State University Radio Observatory, known as "Big Ear," was a massive radio telescope facility that operated from 1963 to 1998 in Delaware, Ohio. The telescope featured two flat reflectors measuring approximately 110 meters by 21 meters each, positioned to scan the sky as Earth rotated. Built on a former golf course, the facility was designed to conduct surveys of radio sources in space and later became famous for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) research. Today, the original site has been developed, though the legacy of its most famous detection continues to intrigue scientists and the public alike. The facility gained additional prominence in popular culture when the 1977 "Wow! signal"—a strong narrowband radio transmission detected during a SETI survey—became the subject of speculation about possible extraterrestrial contact, with some theorists pointing to its unexplained nature and single occurrence as intriguing evidence. However, astronomers note that despite decades of follow-up observations, the signal has never been confirmed or repeated, and mainstream science attributes it to either a natural cosmic source or terrestrial interference, though its exact origin remains unresolved. The "Wow! signal" exemplifies how genuine scientific mysteries can capture public imagination while awaiting further evidence for definitive explanation.
Big Ear radio telescope begins operation at Ohio State University
SETI program officially begins at the facility under volunteer astronomer Jerry Ehman
The famous 'Wow! signal' is detected and annotated by Jerry Ehman
Big Ear telescope is dismantled after funding cuts, site later developed
“On August 15, 1977, astronomer Dr. Jerry Ehman was working on a SETI project at Ohio State University when he recorded an intermittent signal coming from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius.”
While the Big Ear Radio Observatory is not an archaeological site in the traditional sense, its scientific legacy represents a crucial moment in humanity's search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The facility operated for 35 years, conducting systematic surveys of radio emissions from space and contributing to our understanding of cosmic radio sources.
The most significant discovery occurred on August 15, 1977, when volunteer astronomer Jerry Ehman detected an unusually strong, narrowband radio signal while reviewing computer printouts from the previous night's observations. The signal appeared to originate from the constellation Sagittarius and lasted exactly 72 seconds—precisely the time Big Ear's fixed receivers would track any celestial source as Earth rotated. Ehman circled the alphanumeric sequence "6EQUJ5" on the printout and wrote "Wow!" in the margin, giving the signal its enduring name.
Extensive follow-up observations by Big Ear and other radio telescopes worldwide have failed to detect the signal again, despite decades of searching the same region of sky. The signal's characteristics—its narrow frequency band near the hydrogen line at 1420 MHz and its apparent celestial origin—initially suggested it might represent an artificial transmission. However, mainstream astronomers note that a single, unrepeated detection cannot constitute proof of extraterrestrial intelligence.
The mystery persists because no natural astronomical phenomenon has been identified that could produce such a signal. Various explanations have been proposed, including terrestrial interference, satellite transmissions, or unknown astrophysical processes, but none have been definitively proven. The Wow! signal remains one of the most intriguing anomalies in SETI research, representing both the promise and the challenges of searching for signals from other civilizations.
The Wow! signal's designation '6EQUJ5' represents the intensity of the radio emission, with '6' and 'U' being the highest values on the scale used
Big Ear was built on a former golf course and its flat design made it one of the longest radio telescopes ever constructed
Jerry Ehman, who discovered the Wow! signal, was a volunteer working without pay on the SETI project
The signal appeared to come from an empty region of space with no known stars or galaxies in the immediate vicinity
The original Big Ear radio telescope site has been developed and is no longer accessible to visitors. However, the Ohio State University campus in nearby Columbus houses archives and exhibits related to the facility's history and the famous Wow! signal discovery.
Columbus, Ohio (approximately 20 miles southeast of the original Delaware site)
As the original site no longer exists, interested visitors can explore related exhibits at Ohio State University year-round, with spring and fall offering pleasant campus weather.
Roswell
Both sites are central to modern UFO and extraterrestrial contact theories in American popular culture
White Sands Proving Ground
This military testing facility represents another location where unexplained aerial phenomena have been reported and studied
GIMBAL UAP Incident Site (Atlantic Coast of Florida)
Like the Wow! signal, this site involves unexplained phenomena detected by scientific instruments that have sparked debate about extraterrestrial visitation