What did Antonio Paris hypothesize was the true source causing the strong, narrowband signal mimicking an alien beacon?
Answer
A comet passing through the telescope's field of view
Astronomer Antonio Paris proposed a natural terrestrial explanation for the signal, centering on the transient activity of a comet. Comets, as they approach the sun, undergo outgassing, releasing large clouds of dust and gas. If a sufficiently large and nearby comet was emitting vast amounts of hydrogen gas, this gas would naturally emit radio waves at the precise 1420 MHz frequency. This process could create a strong, narrowband signal that perfectly mimics the characteristics SETI researchers seek, providing a potential non-intelligent source for the 1977 detection.
#Videos
We Were Wrong About the Wow! Signal - It Was Even More Bizarre
Related Questions
What alphanumeric sequence captured Jerry Ehman’s attention on the printouts from the Big Ear telescope?Which university owned and operated the Big Ear radio telescope used for the 1977 observation?How long did the Big Ear telescope's observation window last for the specific patch of sky where the 6EQUJ5 signal was recorded?What is the extremely specific frequency, measured in MHz, where the 6EQUJ5 signal was detected?What characteristic implies the 6EQUJ5 signal was artificial rather than natural noise like a quasar emission?According to the data recording interpretation, what specific intensity level did the final digit '5' in 6EQUJ5 represent?What did Antonio Paris hypothesize was the true source causing the strong, narrowband signal mimicking an alien beacon?What key observation made by Antonio Paris's research strengthened the comet theory regarding the 6EQUJ5 signal?What specific behavior of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon relates it to the potential explanation for the Wow! signal?What is the fundamental challenge in SETI research highlighted by the single, unrepeatable detection of the 6EQUJ5 signal?What did the nonrepeatable nature of the signal lead many scientists to conclude about its origin?