Does KIC 8462852 harbour a Dyson sphere?

[glend]

Apparently there is a star (KIC 8462852) surrounded by unusual objects in a system 1500 LYs away between Cygnus and Lyre, originally logged by Keppler as a candidate for investigation. Two stories today on papers about to come out on this planet and why the objects in orbit can't be a typical exo planets, planetary dust plane, rings, captured comets, etc. Worth reading:

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/astronomers-are-preparing-to-observe-an-unusual-star-closer-to-see-if-its-being-circled-by-alien-technology-2015-10

http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-can-t-explain-the-bizarre-mass-of-objects-orbiting-a-distant-star

:question:

[Eden]

I am surprised that more people haven't commented on this. If you haven't done so already, check it out and take a moment to read the full paper on this discovery:

http://arxiv.org/pdf/1509.03622v1.pdf

Followup investigation using ground-based instruments has ruled out almost all of the usual possibilities, mainly due to the lack of IR emissions typical in such cases and there is a great deal of interest for ongoing monitoring.

[Somnium]

really interesting stuff ... a 15% dip is significant. the authors are left with the hypothesis that this is caused by comets. i wouldn't have thought that would be enough to cause such a large reduction in the light given that Jupiter only blocks about 1% of the light from our sun. i am not quite sure how the Dyson sphere conclusion is reached ... but interesting nonetheless

[Eden]

My thoughts exactly. 15% is very significant and there was a dimming event around the 1500 day mark that was in excess of 20%. It looks like the comet family theory is a "best fit" hypothesis since spectroscopy has ruled out all of the typical alternatives. The Dyson Sphere conclusion is simply a result of media hysteria and was never so much as inferred by the researchers in their paper. Further observations are planned starting in January.

[Somnium]

i would have thought the only way to get a 15% dip from a comet would be to have an extremely thick coma and you would expect a gradual dimming of the light curve. Some of the D1500 dips are almost vertical, certainly doesn't look like a comet to me.

[Eratosthenes]

....the second author, D. M. LaCourse (one of 29 co-authors on this paper) is the only author listed as an Amateur Astronomer.

The paper puts up and discusses a few scenarios in order to explain the anomalous behaviour, but this one is their favourite;

"....we conclude that the scenario most consistent with the data in hand is the passage of a family of exocomet fragments, all of which are associated with a single previous break up event."

[Eden]

http://www.breakingburgh.com/god-taking-news-of-possible-alien-megastructure-pretty-badly/

[bojan]

It seems to me that this is a one off transient, something like Solar eclipse.. the conglomerat of relatively small objects (planetary size) and much, much closer to us, passing in front of KIC 8462852.
Yes, I know the probability of event like this to happen now and where Kepler was poited at is almost zero.. but still not equal to zero..
Subsequent photometry (AAVSO requested it in their lates circular) is essential.

[Somnium]

wouldn't that be a complete occultation though? not 20%.

[bojan]

That depends on angular sizes...

[Eden]

It's fascinating, whatever it is. Apparently the Allen Telescope Array is involved now and I thought it had been shelved because of insufficient funding...hopefully more data will become available soon.

[ZeroID]

I thought I saw some info that it was possibly a distorted star, oblobate or possibly two merging stars of unequal size giving an elongated form. Egg shape maybe ... ??
I'll have a hunt to see if I can find it again.

[Rob_K]

http://www.desdemonadespair.net/2015/10/did-kepler-space-telescope-discover.html?m=1