One of astronomy's grandest riddles may have just gotten even more interesting, according to new research that suggests the source of a mysterious signal that some dubbed an "alien broadcast" may instead have been the result of a remarkably rare cosmic event.
Now known as the "Wow! signal" after the incredulous expression scribbled by astronomer Jerry Ehman on a printout of telescope data, the mysterious transmission was picked up by The Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope in August 1977 during a routine scan for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.
