Posted on 10/05/2016 5:46:51 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The more scientists learn about "Tabby's Star," the more mysterious the bizarre object gets.
Newly analyzed observations by NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope show that the star KIC 8462852 whose occasional, dramatic dips in brightness still have astronomers scratching their heads has also dimmed overall during the last few years.
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KIC 8462852 hit the headlines last September, when a team of astronomers led by Tabetha Boyajian of Yale University announced that the star had dimmed dramatically several times over the past few years in one case, by a whopping 22 percent.
These brightness dips are too significant to be caused by an orbiting planet, so scientists began suggesting alternative explanations. Perhaps a planet or a family of orbiting comets broke up, for example, and the ensuing cloud of dust and fragments periodically blocks the star's light. Or maybe some unknown object in the depths of space between the star and Earth is causing the dimming.
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The weirdness increased in January 2016, when astronomer Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University reported that KIC 8462852 also seems to have dimmed overall by 14 percent between 1890 and 1989.
This conclusion is based on Schaefer's analysis of photographic plates of the night sky that managed to capture Tabby's Star, which lies about 1,500 light-years from Earth. Some other astronomers questioned this interpretation, however, suggesting that differences in the instruments used to photograph the sky over that time span may be responsible for the apparent long-term dimming.
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"This star was already completely unique because of its sporadic dimming episodes," Simon said in the same statement. "But now we see that it has other features that are just as strange, both slowly dimming for almost three years and then suddenly getting fainter much more rapidly."
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Feeble Earthlings!
Pay no attention to this foolish story!
Resume your work!
That is all.
“That’s no moon” (Sorry...I couldn’t resist!)
I’ve been following the developments regarding star KIC 8462852 for some time and am (still) keeping an open mind on it. I look forward to additional information as further studies are done.
I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t some type of nebula gas structure between us and the star and what we’re seeing is changes in the gas density.
Or attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
Obviously due to universal warming caused by alien SUVs
I wonder what the Catholic Church’s Lucifer Device scope out West has to offer regarding this.
Technically you don’t see or hear anything in real time. There is always a delay even if it is tiny.
Correctumundo.
Globull cooling!
They sent a very large projectile, straight at us, and it is getting closer....
“The Galactica having lighting problems?”
-—It’s the Cylon war against the 13 colonies and we’re seeing the nukes detonating via telescope lol
One bad bulb and the whole string goes out...
Good let it wipe us all out time for a reset anyways
She is the Stunning woman on the left
My first thought was that the irregular dimming was evidence of a shadow square malfunction.
Actually, someone should ask Larry Niven if he has any ideas about this.
I hate those long goodbyes.
lol!
What a disastrous battle that was :)
Wouldn’t Starkiller Base be more appropriate?
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