Posted on 10/15/2015 12:04:31 PM PDT by grundle
That is exactly what I was thinking - Shadow Squares would fit this perfectly. However, those were inside the Ringworld, now that I think about it. Wouldn't we see the Ring and not the Squares, thus the star would be at a constant brightness?
New Jerrsalem
I'm certain that whatever the reality is here, it's just as amazing as Larry Niven's imagination.
The only reason I thought of it was because, just the night before, I had watched an episode of “How The Universe Works” called “The Secret History of the Moon”, where they postulated that the Moon had a TWIN, born at the same time, that was smaller, made up of the same materials as the Earth, from the collision with another body that coalesced from the debris.
Being in the same orbit, the smaller Twin eventually crashed into the larger body, and merged with it on the backside from Earth, the part we never see. This would explain why the Moon’s crust is 30 miles thicker on the rear than the front.
This scenario would explain why the star in question would dim at different rates and intensities. The debris field is thicker in spots that are orbiting at different speeds..............
Looked this star up.... Besides the designation KIC 8462852, it is unofficially named “Tabby”. So you hit the nail on the head
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