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The Most Mysterious Star in the Galaxy
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Michael Watson Send message Joined: 7 Feb 08 Posts: 1387 Credit: 2,098,506 RAC: 5 |
This is the conclusion of one scientist and his team. Others have expressed doubt that this paper proves that only dust is a factor in the star's dimming. While dust is obviously present, this may not be the whole story. One can see a good deal of dust at a construction site. This does not establish that nothing larger is being constructed. The problem was long framed as a binary one, either it was merely dust, and so natural, or it was only large structures, obviously artificial. It appears that we need to look at the problem with a bit more finesse than that. It may be that the 'dust only' hypothesis will eventually be confirmed by others, and become generally accepted. Until then, it is merely one hypothesis among many. |
Lynn Send message Joined: 20 Nov 00 Posts: 14162 Credit: 79,603,650 RAC: 123 |
Reasonable explanation? Mysterious Dimming of Tabby's Star May Be Caused by Dust One of the most mysterious stellar objects may be revealing some of its secrets at last. Called KIC 8462852, also known as Boyajian's Star, or Tabby's Star, the object has experienced unusual dips in brightness -- NASA's Kepler space telescope even observed dimming of up to 20 percent over a matter of days. In addition, the star has had much subtler but longer-term enigmatic dimming trends, with one continuing today. None of this behavior is expected for normal stars slightly more massive than the Sun. Speculations have included the idea that the star swallowed a planet that it is unstable, and a more imaginative theory involves a giant contraption or "megastructure" built by an advanced civilization, which could be harvesting energy from the star and causing its brightness to decrease. |
Gordon Lowe Send message Joined: 5 Nov 00 Posts: 12094 Credit: 6,317,865 RAC: 0 |
Researchers found less dimming in the infrared light from the star than in its ultraviolet light. Any object larger than dust particles would dim all wavelengths of light equally when passing in front of Tabby's Star. That makes sense to me. The mind is a weird and mysterious place |
Michael Watson Send message Joined: 7 Feb 08 Posts: 1387 Credit: 2,098,506 RAC: 5 |
The authors of the paper are careful to point out that their conclusions apply only to the long term, gradual dimming of the star, *not* to the intermittent dips in light output of up to 22 percent. It's possible that the former is the dust, associated with construction sites, even on Earth, and that the intermittent dips are caused by what is being constructed. |
Byron Leigh Hatch @ team Carl Sagan Send message Joined: 5 Jul 99 Posts: 4548 Credit: 35,667,570 RAC: 4 |
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-observations-deepen-mystery-of-ldquo-alien-megastructure-rdquo-star/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-digest&utm_content=link&utm_term=2017-10-05_featured-this-week New Observations Deepen Mystery of “Alien Megastructure†Star Orbiting dust could explain some but not all of the star’s bizarre behavior You can read the Simon et al. study for free at the online https://arxiv.org/pdf/1708.07822.pdf Alien Megastructure' Star Being Investigated By UC Berkeley | Video The new study does not solve all of KIC 8462852's mysteries, however. For example, it does not address the short-term 20 percent brightness dips, which were detected by NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope. (Kepler is now observing a different part of the sky during its K2 extended mission and will not follow up on Tabby's star for the forseeable future.) |
JakeTheDog Send message Joined: 3 Nov 13 Posts: 153 Credit: 2,585,912 RAC: 0 |
Today I'm seeing news articles quoting Jason Wright saying the analysis of the observations are now leaning towards the dust cloud explanation. https://phys.org/news/2018-01-alien-megastructure-dimming-mysterious-star.html The team studying the star released a draft paper today. I think this is it below. I don't understand it, but the finding that is driving the suggested conclusion is that the dimming of light isn't even across all wavelengths, which would NOT be consistent with opaque objects obscuring the star. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1801.00732.pdf |
bluestar Send message Joined: 5 Sep 12 Posts: 7248 Credit: 2,084,789 RAC: 3 |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere But also that making it such a thing could be also making it the Universe by next both listening, if not watching or looking ourselves, because if not a given creation, or even product on its own, we could be left with ourselves for that of making it perhaps such a thing. "Are we alone", and next we also could be making it a couple of stories of no value or significance as well, in that they could be there for both no simple meaning, if not any explanation at all. It definitely could be fine just watching, and next also waiting, but also that we could be taking nature on its word, by making it that of a "Premise" for such a thing. Still a pretty fine or nice word, but next we could also be left to understand nature from what we already know. Gets to me right now that in Italian, it could be "O sole mio", and next perhaps tullio better could explain. While sometimes forgetting the things being done or carried out yesterday, also that of given books itself, and also that of chapters for a couple of meanings. Did it perhaps become a winter storm right now in the continental U.S. which next could also be thought of as dreadful? Skipping the spacing above, perhaps correct wording needed here. Make it rather the preacher, and he also could be speaking for the masses, but also that we could be making science for almost whatever, if not coming to any conclusions either. It is definitely nice to make life that of possible evolution, if perhaps not anything else either, but next also that of ourselves versus possible intelligent civilizations in space. The Earth perhaps could be a mixture of water and next only matter, being a product of space itself, but also that the sun could be shining, and also that of a wonderful morning. Except for that, only science itself, except for not making it any "holy crap" either. Did I make it perhaps salient, or should it rather be a similar word next not for any meaning either? Or rather still be making it that of Creation for that of "Here you got it", or "Next it became so, because of rather the Moment itself". For one thing, it also could be that of making it perhaps one thing for another, when you next could be having that of "Belief". But rather that it could be "Pump up the volume" for a couple of things, because it was perhaps a couple of things flying around, ready for anyone to see. A scientific interest could next be that of a study as well, in that a couple of things could warrant such an interest. As an example, BOINC is now coming up in a separate part or section, with the title Science United, with the only difference that here it became that of https from the start, when next compared with the old server for this. If climbing a mountain perhaps on your own, you will not beat anyone else than yourself, but if rather making it a pair, and climbing with someone else, also that of a possible competition as well, if not perhaps that of a reaching hand as well. Here, one more time, possible peer-to-peer computing again, except for perhaps not any projects on their own. I make at least a difference between minerals and crystals, in that diamonds could be perhaps crystals, and next also living forever. But also that I could question nature for what it perhaps is, rather than perhaps is not, except for also making it that of ourselves next versus possible others, and again that of a Dyson sphere for such a thing. I next could also be able to conclude here by looking in the cards, but this will next be for a different moment. |
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