KIC 8462852 Boyajian's Star Update for 08/30/17

TL;DR

Recent research on Boyajian's Star, also known as KIC 8462852, reveals a long-term dimming trend along with periods of significant brightening, debunking previous explanations such as alien megastructures and interstellar dust.

Transcript

This is an update in my continuing coverage of the mysterious, very mysterious, star KIC 8462852 or Boyajian’s star for August 30, 2017. The two rumored papers did indeed come out, and there are some interesting developments in them, but as I said in my last update we would either end up moving towards solving this, or we would head back off into m... Read More

Key Insights

• 🛀 Boyajian's Star has shown a long-term dimming trend since 2006, but also periods of significant brightening.
• 😀 Various explanations, including the alien megastructure hypothesis and interstellar dust, face challenges due to the observed trends.
• ☄️ The possibility of cold comets perturbed by a red dwarf near the star is suggested, but previous research on comets and the required amount of comets cast doubt on this hypothesis.
• 🤩 The dimming and variability of the star are most likely caused by locally sourced particulate matter, such as tiny grains of dust.
• 🤩 The absence of infrared emissions from the star contradicts the explanation of interstellar dust as the cause of dimming.

Questions & Answers

Q: What do the recent studies reveal about Boyajian's Star?

The studies show that the star has a long-term dimming trend and experiences periods of significant brightening, indicating complex behavior.

Q: How does the long-term dimming trend challenge previous explanations?

The dimming trend poses problems for explanations like the alien megastructure hypothesis and the idea that the star recently consumed a planet.

Q: What role does interstellar dust play in the new research?

The studies suggest that the dimming and variability of Boyajian's Star can be attributed to tiny grains of dust in its vicinity, ruling out previously accepted explanations involving interstellar dust.

Q: What is the significance of the lack of infrared emissions from the star?

The lack of infrared emissions challenges the assumption that the dimming was caused by dust in the interstellar medium, suggesting that the dust is of local origin.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Recent studies on Boyajian's Star show that it has experienced a long-term dimming trend since 2006, but also periods of significant brightening.

• The dimming trend poses challenges for various explanations, including the hypothesis that the star recently consumed a planet.

• The presence of tiny grains of dust in the star's vicinity is suggested as the most likely cause for the observed dimming and variability.