The Mysterious Star
Between 2009 and 2013 the Kepler spacecraft recorded unusual data about KIC 8462852. An F class star 1,480 light years away in Cygnus, KIC 8462852 displays major but aperiodic drops in magnitude. These drops are not due to an internal factor but something (or a host of things) orbiting the star.
On March 5, 2011, the star's brightness fell by as much as 15%. About 750 days later, it fell by up to 22%. Dimming of that magnitude wouldn't have resulted from a planet transiting the star. Even giant Jupiter would've only caused a drop of 1%.
Nor are the drops due to dust. Dust would absorb the star's light, warm up and then reradiate the energy in the infrared. Spectroscopic studies, however, reveal no heightened IR in the vicinity. Clouds of gas and dust, typical of star formation, are a possibility, but the star seems well past the early phase associated with such clouds.
The difficulty of finding a natural explanation has fueled speculation about a Dyson system i.e. huge solar panels built by an advanced civilization. Aliens may be capturing the star's energy. The best explanation, however, may be comets, sent toward KIC 8462852 by a red dwarf companion 885 AU away. Assuming KIC 8462852 has an Oort cloud, its companion could wreak havoc with it, in the process obscuring the brighter star occasionally with masses of debris.
Naturally, the mystery has attracted much scientific attention, and an answer should be forthcoming soon.
On March 5, 2011, the star's brightness fell by as much as 15%. About 750 days later, it fell by up to 22%. Dimming of that magnitude wouldn't have resulted from a planet transiting the star. Even giant Jupiter would've only caused a drop of 1%.
Nor are the drops due to dust. Dust would absorb the star's light, warm up and then reradiate the energy in the infrared. Spectroscopic studies, however, reveal no heightened IR in the vicinity. Clouds of gas and dust, typical of star formation, are a possibility, but the star seems well past the early phase associated with such clouds.
The difficulty of finding a natural explanation has fueled speculation about a Dyson system i.e. huge solar panels built by an advanced civilization. Aliens may be capturing the star's energy. The best explanation, however, may be comets, sent toward KIC 8462852 by a red dwarf companion 885 AU away. Assuming KIC 8462852 has an Oort cloud, its companion could wreak havoc with it, in the process obscuring the brighter star occasionally with masses of debris.
Naturally, the mystery has attracted much scientific attention, and an answer should be forthcoming soon.
posted by starman at 7:30 AM
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