A signal surfaced in the noise.

The Wow! signal was a strong narrowband radio signal detected on August 15, 1977, by Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope in the United States, then used to support the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

What the record keeps to itself:

The signal appeared to come from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius and bore expected hallmarks of extraterrestrial origin.

The file is open. Nobody has closed it for good, and maybe nobody can.