cosmic dust not alien megastructure veils mysterious star
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

In an odd way that suggested

Cosmic dust, not 'alien megastructure,' veils mysterious star

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Cosmic dust, not 'alien megastructure,' veils mysterious star

NASA image obtained January 3, 2018 shows an illustration of a star behind a shattered comet.
Miami - Al Maghrib Today

It's been called the "most mysterious star in the universe," bigger than the sun and yet brightening and dimming in an odd way that suggested to some an alien megastructure might be circling it.

But a study out Wednesday, compiled by more than 100 scientists who have been observing the star named KIC 8462852, puts the alien rumors to rest.

"Dust is most likely the reason why the star's light appears to dim and brighten," said lead author Tabetha Boyajian, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University, for whom "Tabby's Star" is nicknamed.

"The new data shows that different colors of light are being blocked at different intensities. Therefore, whatever is passing between us and the star is not opaque, as would be expected from a planet or alien megastructure."

The initial discovery of the star was made with the help of NASA's planet-hunting space telescope, known as Kepler.

Kepler detects planets by tracking moments when a star's light dims as an object passes in front of it.

 

The unusual dips in brightness in Tabby's Star -- more than 1,000 light-years away, about 50 percent bigger and 1,000 degrees hotter than the sun -- aroused global interest.

Citizen scientists, known as the Planet Hunters, were the ones who discovered the star's strange behavior, by sifting through massive amounts of data from the NASA Kepler mission.

"If it wasn't for people with an unbiased look on our universe, this unusual star would have been overlooked," Boyajian said.

New era in astronomy

More than 1,700 people donated some $100,000 through a Kickstarter campaign to study it further.

Astronomers at the California-based Las Cumbres Observatory watched it closely from March 2016 to December 2017.

"We were hoping that once we finally caught a dip happening in real time, we could see if the dips were the same depth at all wavelengths," said co-author Jason Wright, assistant professor at Pennsylvania State's department of astronomy and astrophysics.

"If they were nearly the same, this would suggest that the cause was something opaque, like an orbiting disk, planet, or star, or even large structures in space."

The team indeed found four episodes when the star's light dipped, beginning in May 2017.

Even though the team has ruled out any massive alien construction as the cause of dimming, "it raises the plausibility of other phenomena being behind the dimming," Wright said.

"There are models involving circumstellar material -- like exocomets, which were Boyajian's team's original hypothesis -- which seem to be consistent with the data we have."

Researchers say the experiment is indicative of a new era in astronomy, in which crowd-sourcing and citizen scientists help fuel new discoveries.

"We're gathering so much data on a single target," said Tyler Ellis, a doctoral candidate at Louisiana State University who was among those studying this star.

"This project is reflective of changes in astronomy with the access to this flood of data."

The report is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

cosmic dust not alien megastructure veils mysterious star cosmic dust not alien megastructure veils mysterious star

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

cosmic dust not alien megastructure veils mysterious star cosmic dust not alien megastructure veils mysterious star

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:29 2013 Thursday ,26 September

France probes Apple\'s business practices

GMT 13:17 2017 Wednesday ,15 February

Yemeni accuses militias of challenging oil

GMT 18:49 2016 Friday ,18 November

Bahrain weather forecast

GMT 10:31 2017 Saturday ,21 October

blow LTD reveals expansion plans

GMT 13:16 2017 Monday ,30 January

To leave Toulon for Japan

GMT 17:15 2012 Tuesday ,08 May

Fresh air remembers author Maurice Sendak

GMT 09:52 2017 Tuesday ,24 October

Scientists find blood molecule

GMT 13:03 2012 Tuesday ,31 January

QPR complete Diakite signing

GMT 09:58 2014 Friday ,12 September

Chinese fossils show early origins of mammals

GMT 19:19 2015 Saturday ,05 December

GACA head arrives in Cairo to participate in AFCAC

GMT 04:11 2016 Thursday ,25 August

Canadian stocks move down as energy weighs

GMT 16:53 2015 Sunday ,20 December

Egypt inks loan agreement with AFESD

GMT 18:12 2016 Sunday ,04 September

Al Borg offers special prostate cancer tests

GMT 17:55 2014 Saturday ,16 August

Qadsia wins Kuwait Super Cup

GMT 22:01 2016 Tuesday ,28 June

Bahrain Bourse Daily Trading Performance

GMT 08:05 2014 Thursday ,28 August

Whistles, no bikinis Baywatch Gaza-style
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday