ASTRONOMY: Alien megastar more hungry than mysterious, scientists say it ate a planet.
You might recall last month’s report about a mysterious star which had “dimmed dramatically multiple times over the past seven years.”
Mystery solved?
Now a more convincing theory about KIC 84622852 suggests the star consumed a planet about 10,000 years ago.
“We propose that the secular dimming behavior is the result of the inspiral of a planetary body or bodies into KIC 8462852,” researchers from Columbia University and UC Berkley said in a new research paper.
If the star did consume a planet, it could explain the unusual light pattern, researchers said.
It would have caused Tabby’s Star to suddenly brighten erratically, especially if a detached moon system from the engulfed planet was still circling the star irregularly blocking its light. The star would show a dimming pattern of light as it returned to normal, the research suggested.
My money is still on an enormous mutant star goat.