Link first: Has Kepler Discovered an Alien Megastructure? : Discovery News As often, the title seems the most lurid part. Worth reading the rest though, especially if you don't get how a telescope can 'find' a planet (etc.) The underlying physics paper arXiv:1509.03622v1 is tough sledding but makes it clear that (a) the 'dimmings' are very irregular (b) comet debris is a likely explanation (c) but even that is pretty weird But, you know, Alien Megastructure is pretty juicy. Radio astronomers have no choice but to tune in on this spot. Try and hear something from 1480 years ago...
Very very interesting stuff! As usual, Phil Plait has a blog post on this. Weird star: Strange dips in brightness are a bit baffling.
We look to nature and the stars as our teachers . . . find out how things work. Then we apply this knowledge to look for exceptions, the clues of a reality not yet fully mastered. We are a curious species and this is just the latest puzzle. But there may be a clue in Shoemaker-Levy 9. This comet was captured by Jupiter, an orbit, and on one pass, broke into pieces before impacting Jupiter. There is no known size limit of a comet and the pattern is consistent with a big one making a pass around that distant star and headed back out, now broken apart. Bob Wilson
