KIC 8462852 Boyajian's Star Update March 19, 2018

TL;DR

Tabby's Star, known for its mysterious dimming events, is experiencing a significant dip in brightness, possibly caused by dust. Long-term dimming trend and the presence of a nearby red dwarf add to the mystery.

Transcript

This is an update in my continuing coverage of KIC 8462852 or Tabby’s Star for March 19, 2018. There hasn’t been much going on with this story due mainly to the star having been behind the sun for much of the winter and thus not observable. However, the observing season recently started and while the star appeared quiet and at near nominal brightne... Read More

Key Insights

• 🔅 Tabby's Star, also known as KIC 8462852, is currently experiencing a significant dip in brightness, possibly caused by dust.
• 🙂 The dips observed in the star's light curve have been consistent with the presence of dust rather than solid objects like alien megastructures.
• 🍉 The long-term dimming trend of Tabby's Star over the past century remains unexplained.
• ❓ The presence of a nearby red dwarf raises questions about the origin of the material blocking the light from the star.
• 😪 Research suggests that the red dwarf is not gravitationally bound to Tabby's Star.
• 🧑‍🌾 Historical photographic plates confirm that Tabby's Star had experienced deep dips in brightness as far back as 1922.
• 🍽️ The possibility of periodicity in the dimming events is suggested by the intervals between certain dips observed in both Kepler data and photographic plates.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• KIC 8462852, also known as Tabby's Star, has been quiet due to its position behind the sun during the winter but has recently started showing a significant dip in brightness.

• Previous dimming events were believed to be caused by dust, and the current observations align with this explanation.

• The star's overall dimming trend over the past century remains unexplained, and the presence of a nearby red dwarf raises questions about the origin of the material blocking the light.