That bizarre-looking star just got a lot weirder, and yes — it could be aliens (KIC8462852)

That bizarre-looking star just got a lot weirder, and yes — it could be aliens

Three months ago, news broke that a giant "alien megastructure" could exist around a bizarre-looking star 1,500 light years away.

While the prospect of aliens was first launched by Penn State astronomer Jason Wright, almost everyone in the astronomy community agreed that the chances that this was the case were "very low."

Now, the latest investigations into this strange star by Louisiana State University astronomer Bradley Schaefer have re-ignited the alien theory, New Scientist reported.

What makes this star, called KIC8462852, so bizarre is the drastic changes in light we see from it over time. Many stars experience temporary fluctuations in brightness, increasing and decreasing in luminosity over time, but KIC8462852's changes are severe by comparison.

Between 2009 and 2013, astronomers using the Kepler space telescope discovered that it would sometimes lose up to 20% of its brightness. What's more, the changes didn't follow any obvious pattern.

That would suggest something gigantic must be blocking the light at random times, meaning it couldn't be a planet or other regular orbiting object because that would generate a distinct pattern of dimming light. It must be something that changes shape over time, thereby blocking different levels of light at random intervals.
Surprise: It's probably not comets

An alien megastructure, called a Dyson swarm, was suggested as one explanation for what scientists have observed, but the most likely reason astronomers came up with was comets — a giant family of them.

But Shaefer says not so fast.

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Comets?

Not so fast....

Apparently we have data of this system dating back to the late 1890's all the way through the 1980's and the dimming has been consistently observed. Using the new info it would take over 648,000 comets all in excess of 200km. Something scientists are saying is very unlikely.

So with the comet theory ruled out we are once again back to square one and once again looking at the possibility of ET.

Thoughts? Anyone with alternate theories aside from ET and comets?

if its a star wouldnt it be too hot for anything to live on it? Not sure....just wondering?

a reply to: hiddenNZ

I do not believe anyone is suggesting that the star itself is inhabited. While the concept of a life form capable of living on, or in a star is an interesting one, it is reasonable to assume that people are talking about the star system being inhabited, rather than the star itself.

The star itself - yes (as we understand what life is based on our planet). A more advanced ET civilization could very well have technology that allows them to build structures close to the star but in space.

Habitats? Observation facilities? Energy collection system?

Maybe there is a planet we have not detected and this item blocks harmful rays / heat making the planet habitable?

originally posted by: hiddenNZ
if its a star wouldn't it be too hot for anything to live on it? Not sure....just wondering?

They equate the dimming of the star to a possible harnessing of it's energy by an advanced civilization. The civilization is living on a construct that doesn't necessarily orbit their star but moves enough in front of it to dim and reduce it's luminosity.

I have a thought. Could it not be down to interstellar dust in clumps? What if the clumps were quite close to the solar system and were moving in regimen, rather like zebra stripes. I know they say that it is not possible because of the time scales etc but what if within the clumps there were other clumps? Didn't a star pass through our local region something like 2,000,000 years ago, couldn't that have left a lot of dust out there, where we can't see?

a reply to: Jonjonj

That was the first theory, and I'm pretty sure that's why this was even news in the first place. Because dust was ruled out, and we needed a better explanation than "Dyson Sphere"

Please continue in the existing thread. Thanks.