That Alien Megastructure Star Is Freaking Out Again UpdatedIts almost certainly not aliens, but once again, Tabbys Star is acting hella weird. The star that first became our planetary obsession back in the fall of 2. Jason Wright suggested its weird flickering behavior might be the result of an alien megastructureis, once again, flickering. But unlike previous stellar glitches, astronomers are now prepared to study it in the act. The world was first alerted to a alien signal mysterious change in the stars light output in a tweet from Wright this morning. As reported by Popular Science, Fairborn Observatory in Arizona confirmed that the stars light output has recently dimmed by approximately 3 percent. W3BjRD87ocw/VB6i19FiBlI/AAAAAAAACOw/92lQ6Aafgw0/s1600/FUDCN7AFRTXG93Y.MEDIUM.jpg' alt='Nissan Data Scan 1.6 Crack' title='Nissan Data Scan 1.6 Crack' />As with previous dimming events, this cant be easily explained by any ordinary stellar behavior. Past explanations for the stars fits and starts include a swarm of cometary fragments, a recently annihilated planet full disclosure my brother, an astronomer at Columbia University, came up with that one, and, every true believers favorite, an alien megastructure. Tabbys Star, or KIC 8. Kepler space telescope database, has confounded astronomers since its unusual light curve was first spotted by citizen scientists. Over four years of Kepler observations, the stars light output intermittently tanked, dropping by roughly 2. The more astronomers looked at the star, the weirder things got. Nissan Data Scan 1.6 Crack' title='Nissan Data Scan 1.6 Crack' />An analysis of old photographic plates hinted that the stars light output diminished a whopping 1. Keplers data seemed to confirm long term dimming. It was soon decided that the only way to solve the mystery would be to observe the star in the act of dimming across the electromagnetic spectrum. 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A call is currently open for telescopes around the world, including amateur astronomers, to point their eyes at Tabbys Star and watch how its light curve changes over the course of the ongoing dimming event. Right now, were organizing lots of different telescopes, Wright said in an interview with UC Berkeleys SETI program, noting that observers on both Keck telescopes in Hawaii were going to look at Tabbys Star tonight, along with, hopefully, folks at several other observatories elsewhere in the United States and around the world. It should be a really exciting weekend. As Ive explained previously, Keplers data on Tabbys Star consisted of a smear of white light. Nissan Data Scan 1.6 Crack' title='Nissan Data Scan 1.6 Crack' />More precise measurements at different wavelengths could help us zero in on whatever material is actually occluding it. A spectra with high absorption in blue and ultraviolet wavelengths, for instance, could point to a giant blob of dust around the star, while an excess of infrared radiation may support the comet hypothesis. But what would support the theory of a vast alien construction project Only the most extraordinary evidencealthough at this point, as long as the star continues to defy natural explanations, the nerds in the room can dream on. Exciting stuff Ive reached out to Boyajian and Wright for comment on what the next steps are, and Ill update this post if I hear back. If youre keen to learn more right now, SETIs hour long conversation with Wright today, embedded above, is chock full of additional information. Update 32. 2 Tyler Ellis, an astronomy graduate student working with Tabetha Boyajian, updated Gizmodo via email this weekend to let us know that the follow up response has so far been pretty extensive. For photometry counting light particles being emitted in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum observers at the Los Cumbres Global Observatory and the KELT planet hunting network are viewing the star in optical, while the SWIFT ultraviolet space telescope, the Subaru telescope, and the Large Binocular Telescope are studying its infrared glow. Other collaborators are doing spectroscopy, trying to figure out which areas of the spectrum, exactly, are dimming. Still others are attempting to measure the polarization of light emitted by Tabbys star, which can help determine whether the dimming is caused by something in the interstellar medium. So far, Ellis says, it appears the stars spectra has reddened, meaning bluer wavelengths of light are being absorbed more than redder ones. We were really hoping to pin down the color dependence of the dimming which we did, the dipping is reddened and wed like to then figure out which elements are the main suspects, he said. As was predicted by Tabbys paper, this might be a periodic event with a period of 7. This event happening now is supporting that ideaht Popular Science. Partner Perspectives. Partner Perspectives. Partner Perspectives. White Papers. Current Issue. Digital Transformation Myths Truths. Transformation is on every IT organizations to do list, but effectively transforming IT means a major shift in technology as well as business models and culture. In this IT Trend Report, we examine some of the misconceptions of digital transformation and look at steps you can take to succeed technically and culturally. State of IT Report. Geovision Multiview Software. In todays technology driven world, innovation has become a basic expectation. IT leaders are tasked with making technical magic, improving customer experience, and boosting the bottom line yet often without any increase to the IT budget. 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