Aster › Space program › Tabby’s Star (KIC 8462852)
Tabby’s Star (KIC 8462852)
Position on the route: 167/181 · level needed 2550 · journey (Mk0 engine) 432.3 h
By the numbers
| Distance | ≈ 1,470 light-years |
|---|---|
| Dimming | up to 22 % |
| Found | 2015, Boyajian |
| Cause | dust (most likely) |
The story
KIC 8462852 is an F-type star in Cygnus about 1,470 light-years away. Planet Hunters volunteers noticed in Kepler data that the star dims irregularly by up to 22 %; the 2015 paper led by Tabetha Boyajian gave the star the name ‘Tabby’s Star’.
‘Alien megastructures’ were a passing hypothesis. Later observations showed the dimming changes with colour, so what blocks the light is thin clouds of dust, not a solid object. There is still no complete explanation, but the main view is dust orbiting the star.
Missions
- Kepler (NASA): the discovery
- Citizen astronomers: continuous monitoring
Colony note
No surface; an orbital station only.
☠ A star that dims in mysterious ways: no surface. An orbital station only.
What probes bring back
- KIC 8462852: in 2015 Kepler showed this star dimming irregularly by up to 22 %; it became ‘Tabby’s Star’ after Tabetha Boyajian, the lead author.
- Alien megastructures were a passing hypothesis; later observations showed the dimming varies with colour, so thin dust clouds are blocking the light. The consensus: dust orbiting the star.