Giant planet, comet swarm, huge crash, star system under construction or still buildings of Alienarchitekten? For years, scientists have been breaking ir heads over a mysterious flicker in constellation Swan. It goes from a star that is almost 50 percent bigger and heavier and about 1,000 degrees hotter than our sun. It lies between 1,000 and 1,500 light years away from Earth. Actually, he carries catalogue number KIC 8462852, astronomers affectionately call him tabby star – after his discoverer, American astronomer Tabetha Boyajian.
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Tabby star is not an ordinary sun, so it seemed so far. At irregular intervals, its brightness fluctuates by up to 22 percent. According to established star models, however, it should light up to a large extent. There have been many speculations since n. The most dangerous: extraterrestrial mega, gigantic structures, could cause flickering. A team of investigators Boyajian from Louisiana State University is now concluding with all myths ( Astrophysical Journal Letters: Wright Boyajian et al., 2018). The secret of most mysterious star in universe is probably not homeland of Einerfortgeschrittenen civilization – just dust.
1,700 supporters donated to research
Extremely fine dust, as latest analysis of team suggests. Its average grain size should be well below a thousandth of a einesMillimeters, researchers write. The particles schluckenLicht different colors vary greatly.
“The new data show that VerschiedeneLichtfarben are blocked with different intensity”, Boyajian is quoted in a communication IhrerUniversität. “Whatever between us and star is refore not opaque, as one would expect from a planet or Eineraußerirdischen mega-shape.”
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Some 1,700 supporters have donated more than 100,000 dollars in recent years to allow furr observations of Tabby star. Astronomers have provided numerous explanations for unerwarteteVerhalten of star: he could have planets, Diegelegentlich before him and cover him in part. However, even very large planets like derJupiter in our system typically darken ir stars by only about two percent.
As AndereMöglichkeit, large amounts of comet debris were in question or a large, irregular disc of dust that could surround star. However, such dust should heat up and become noticeable via additional infrared radiation, which could not be observed so far.
But riddle remains unsolved
The SpektakulärsteErklärungsversuch suggested that a technologischfortgeschrittene civilization built around star EineDyson sphere to cover its energy needs. DerUS orist Freeman Dyson has speculated about it in 1960s. Such civilizations could construct a gigantic shell around Ihrenjeweiligen star in order to reap as much radiations as possible.
The Alienjäger of project SETI had refore aligned ir telescope on Tabby star, but could not find radio signals or clues to rocket drives. Also a typical infrared surplus, as Dyson had predicted it 1960 for distant collectors, was not measured.
Even dust ory is not conclusively substantiated. Carried do not know wher particles are arranged in form of a disc or orwise. The riddle has not yet been solved.
