Japan's first SETI group has formed and plans radio observations near the Sagittarius constellation at Misato Observatory in Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, in August 2027, 50 years after the signal was detected. [1]
The group is seeking to study the mysterious “Wow! Signal,” long described as the strongest candidate for an alien radio transmission ever detected. It was launched in April by about 10 people and said it would call on observers around the world to conduct concentrated observations toward the signal's source. [1]
The signal dates to 1977, when an Ohio State University telescope picked up a strong radio burst that later became known as the “Wow! Signal.” The new Japanese group said the planned campaign is meant to revisit that target with focused radio observations from Japan. [1]
Shinya Narusawa, the 61-year-old head of the Japanese Society for SETI, said, “They must exist somewhere in the universe. I’m excited to be putting this into action.” The society said, “We will call on the world to conduct concentrated observations towards the source of the radio wave.” [1]
The next scheduled step is the August 2027 observing campaign at Misato Observatory. [1]
