"Star of the Aliens" is dimming again
Tabby star (KIC 8462852, also Boyajian's Star, by the name of its discoverer) is considered as one of main misteries in astronomy, during the last several years. At first sight this is normal star of the main sequence; spectral type is F3V (our Sun is G5 - Tabby is more yellowish-white, than yellow Sun), with mass 1.43 Msun and luminosity 4.68 times more than of Sun. It is located in the Cygnus constellation about 1300 light years away. Tabby star became famous in 2015, when team of astronomers, investgating data from space telescope Kepler, found, that the star changed its luminosity up to 20% during 2010 - 2013. These changes were irregular, what cannot be explained with existing theories. Times of changes varied from weeks to months.
Image: NASA
Exoplanets cannot be responsible for this phenomena - even the largest transitting planets could dip it to several percent, besides, their transits are strictly regular.
There are many attempt to explain the anomaly: swarm of comets, debris of destroyed planet, and even construction of th Dyson Sphere by the alien civilization.
Image: Vedexent - Dyson swarm - star energy collectors
Of course, it is still too early to make conclusions and new studies are needed.
Image: Wikipedia
On May, 19, KIC 8462852 began to dim again. To this moment luminosity decrease is about 3% and coninues. Right now many astronomers from around the world are studying it with their instruments. Hopefully, new data will help to solve this mistery.
Live luminosity data - This is first dimming since 2013
Note, that all these news are news only for us. For hypothetical Tabby star dwellers, it is distant pass, as what we are seeing now, happened at Tabby 1300 years ago
Universe,
The endless story that we all share. A place with so much questions and answers, with so many signs, with so many interpretation. Each one as real as the next one, the important thing is to believe.
As said it before and I will say it again here, I think is the right context:
Have you ever wonder in the night watching stars, that maybe they are watching us back, smiling, when we are asking so many stupid questions about them?
The only answer about this beautiful phenomenon that we are privilege to experiment today, the dimming star Tabby is shy. Yes, SHY. And when we are staring at it, she is beginning to fade-away. To die. All eyes on one stars, it is a good thing for movie stars, maybe. Real stars that make the Universe what it is, need to be care in silence, one by one.
Thank you!
Tabby's star reminds me of the OnOff star in a work of science fiction called 'A Deepness in the Sky' by Vernor Vinge.
@tsboyajian's star is dipping
This is not a drill.
Astro tweeps on telescopes in the next 48 hours: spectra please!
Disclaimer: I am just a bot trying to be helpful.
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