Search for extraterrestrial life: A Delaware, Ohio connection

Since childhood, I have been fascinated with outer space and exploring strange new worlds, the moon, our solar system, galaxies far far away, and of course the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

News of the recent scientific paper “Physical Constraints on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (currently under peer review) by Dr. Abraham (Avi) Loeb Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Dr. Sean M. Kirkpatrick, Director, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) for the Department of Defense immediately caught my eye. While I am able to consider the possibility of other forms of life out there, I am still skeptical about the existence of aliens. With that, this research paper and the documented “Wow Signal” found by Radio Big Ear in Delaware, Ohio have me thinking more deeply about what lies beyond Earth.

At the ripe old age of four, I remember going to see “Star Wars” at the now torn down North High Drive-In with my grandparents. I was enamored by the swashbuckling “padawan” Luke Skywalker, the menacing Darth Vader, and of course the tall furry “walking carpet” Chewbacca. Alas, I was equally infatuated with “Star Trek, the Motion Picture,” watching Capitan Kirk, Mr. Spock, and “Bones” come in contact with “V’Ger” just to find out it was the space probe “Voyager 6.” Side note: Yes, one CAN be a FAN of BOTH franchises! However, I digress…

Both films sparked my imagination and curiosity about space and the possibility of other civilizations. As a “grown-up” I have tacitly followed news stories about UFO sightings and the search for extraterrestrial life, always keeping an open mind while separating fact from fiction.

Being born and raised in Delaware, Ohio, where the Wow Signal was discovered by astronomer Jerry R. Ehman in 1977, I grew up reading and talking about the possible existence of “little green men”. The fact that the signal was recorded in my hometown adds an extra layer of intrigue for me. It’s a reminder that scientific discoveries can happen anywhere, at any time, even in little old Delaware.

The Wow Signal, discovered by Ehman in 1977, has been one of the most intriguing discoveries related to the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The strong narrowband radio signal was detected by Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope and appeared to come from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. The story I grew up on is that Ehrman was so excited about the signal that he wrote the word “WOW!” on the the paper readout. While many hypotheses have been put out there regarding the origin of the emission, including natural and human-made sources, none of them have truly explained the signal.

Let’s fast forward to 2017, when the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua passed through our solar system. Some scientists believe this to be a natural object, Loeb has suggested that ‘Oumuamua could be of extraterrestrials, rather than a natural object from the nether regions of space. He even equates it to a “mothership,” as it does not resemble any natural object that has been observed before. In their recent paper Loeb and Kirkpatrick explore the idea that the observed UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) could be technological artifacts created by an extraterrestrial intelligence. The idea of ‘Oumuamua being an extraterrestrial “mothership” is rather noteworthy.

In the paper, Loeb discusses the possibility that the object could have been part of a larger artificial structure that includes AI and self-replicating probes. If true, this makes me wonder about the nature of these probes and whether they are here to help mankind, or hurt us (Images of “V” come to mind where they 1st show up as friendly, with an ulterior motive).

Another aspect of the paper gets me thinking of the “Terminator,” (another movie franchise I enjoy) is the discussion of the potential for self-replicating probes. The idea is that an advanced civilization could send out these probes to explore the universe, and they would be capable of creating copies of themselves as they traveled. This allows for the exploration of what seems to be endless space, without the need for constant communication with the home world.

Despite several subsequent attempts to detect the Wow Signal, it has never been detected again, leaving its origin a mystery. Still, the Wow Signal remains the strongest candidate for an extraterrestrial radio transmission ever detected, and ‘Oumuamua has the potential to be a technological artifact created by an extraterrestrial intelligence. Both take me down the rabbit hole of “what if,” while maintaining my finite grasp of universe.

Of course, not everyone is convinced that the Wow Signal or ‘Oumuamua are evidence of extraterrestrial life. Skeptics argue that there are natural explanations for both. For myself, I am trying to be open-minded while also being critical of claims that lack sufficient evidence.

At the end of the day, the search for extraterrestrial life continues to be a thought provoking field of study that allows my imagination to run wild of “exploring strange new worlds.” Whether or not the Wow Signal or ‘Oumuamua are evidence of extraterrestrial life, they represent our natural quest to better understand the universe, and our place in it. As we continue to explore and discover, it’s important to approach these discoveries with a sense of wonder and curiosity, while also applying rigorous scientific methods to ensure that our findings are indeed fact.

This paper has renewed my interest in space, and “little green men,” causing me to look at UFO and UAP reports in Delaware County. On top of contemplating how exactly I wanted to pen my thoughts to this post, (and MULTIPLE revisions), while making heads or tails of the scientific paper recently published by Doctors Loeb and Kirkpatrick, my brain is exhausted!

So, I think I’ll take a break and indulge in some sci-fi entertainment by watching a few episodes of “Star Trek” The Original Series.

Who knows, maybe someday smarter people than me will have answered the age old question of “are we alone?” Until then, I’ll continue to explore and write about the mysteries of our universe from the safety and comfort of my own bed. All the while watching one of my favorite movie genre’s, science-fiction!

Stay tuned!