The Alien Megastructure. Over the past few days, the supposed Alien Megastructure around the star KIC 8462852 has caused havoc in the astronomy and astrophysical world. While this system does host something really bizarre, odds are that this new bit of weirdness has a more rational explanation than just “Aliens”.
The star KIC 8462852 is 1500 light years away and lies in the constellation Cygnus, between two bright stars, Deneb and Delta Cygni. It is an F-type star which is slowly entering the “giant phase” in the stellar evolution line. Due to its extreme distance, it is an 11th magnitude star in our night sky.
The first bit of weirdness about the star came into light in September of this year, when, due to observations on the Planet Hunter website, the star was found to have unusual fluctuations in its brightness. All natural causes were apparently “probed and rejected” as explanations to the dimming in brightness.
The star KIC 8462852 is 1500 light years away and lies in the constellation Cygnus, between two bright stars, Deneb and Delta Cygni. It is an F-type star which is slowly entering the “giant phase” in the stellar evolution line. Due to its extreme distance, it is an 11th magnitude star in our night sky.
The first bit of weirdness about the star came into light in September of this year, when, due to observations on the Planet Hunter website, the star was found to have unusual fluctuations in its brightness. All natural causes were apparently “probed and rejected” as explanations to the dimming in brightness.
This resulted in intense media speculation recently regarding the nature of this “starshade”. Aliens are a last resort to scientists, and it is increasingly unlikely that this dimming in brightness is caused by an alien structure which harnesses the energy of the star. It could be a huge swarm of comets. However, due to the star’s age, scientists are skeptical whether such a comet swarm could be found there.
Nonetheless, scientists are continuing to search for explanations regarding this mystery. With the media spreading the story, there is likely to be a hype in people stating this star system as a hub for extraterrestrials, the first ones we’ve encountered. However, rest assured, confirmation of alien life on other planets is still something for the future and not for the present.
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