VOICED®

Every Voice Matters®

Get VOICED
Log in
VOICED
EVERY VOICE MATTERS
  • Home
  • Topics
    • VOICED Policy
    • VOICED Mind & Body
    • VOICED Men
    • VOICED Women
    • VOICED Humor
    • VOICED Him & Her
    • VOICED News
    • VOICED College
    • VOICED Travel
    • VOICED Society
    • VOICED Money
    • VOICED Animals
    • VOICED Artificial intelligence
    • VOICED Arts
    • VOICED Auto
    • VOICED Blockchain
    • VOICED Books
    • VOICED Business
    • VOICED Cryptocurrency
    • VOICED Eats
    • VOICED Entertainment
    • VOICED Environment
    • VOICED Gaming
    • VOICED Marketing
    • VOICED Motivation
    • VOICED Philosophy
    • VOICED Psychology
    • VOICED Real estate
    • VOICED Religion
    • VOICED Science
    • VOICED Spirituality
    • VOICED Sports
    • VOICED Style
    • VOICED Technology
    • VOICED Work
    • VOICED World
  • Topics
    • VOICED Policy
    • VOICED Mind & Body
    • VOICED Men
    • VOICED Women
    • VOICED Humor
    • VOICED Him & Her
    • VOICED News
    • VOICED College
    • VOICED Travel
    • VOICED Society
    • VOICED Money
    • VOICED Animals
    • VOICED Artificial intelligence
    • VOICED Arts
    • VOICED Auto
    • VOICED Blockchain
    • VOICED Books
    • VOICED Business
    • VOICED Cryptocurrency
    • VOICED Eats
    • VOICED Entertainment
    • VOICED Environment
    • VOICED Gaming
    • VOICED Marketing
    • VOICED Motivation
    • VOICED Philosophy
    • VOICED Psychology
    • VOICED Real estate
    • VOICED Religion
    • VOICED Science
    • VOICED Spirituality
    • VOICED Sports
    • VOICED Style
    • VOICED Technology
    • VOICED Work
    • VOICED World
  •  
Get VOICED

Liked By

Check your inbox.

Click the link we sent to [email protected] to complete your account set-up.

VOICED®

Create an account to join the conversion.

You'll be able to publish your own stories, follow your favorite people, create a better news feed experience and comment on content you love.

Continue with Google Continue with Facebook Sign up with Email
Already have an account? Log In
Terms of Service

Sign up with email

Enter your email address to create an account

All sign up options

Log in

You know what to do.
Forgot password?
OR
Log in with Google Log in with Facebook
No account? Sign up.
Terms of Service
  • Followers
  • Following
Flux/Kickstarter

The Most Mysterious Star In The Galaxy Has Us Asking If We Are Alone

  
sam rogers
Jun. 07, 2016
Follow
Share tweet pinterest reddit email

Space is full of mysteries, so the announcement of the discovery of “the most mysterious star in our galaxy” is a pretty bold claim. A team of scientists who are all way smarter than you, found some decidedly odd behavior from a distant star with the catchy name of KIC 8462852 (they’re smart, but no one said they were creative).

While being observed through NASA’s Kepler telescope (along with 150,000 other stars), volunteer astronomers noticed that this particular star occasionally dimmed, indicating that something was passing in front of it, between the star and the earth. This would be exciting under “normal” circumstances, because that usually means a new planet has been discovered. But this behavior wasn’t normal at all.

Sky view showing the portion of sky that Kepler observed marked with the tiny boxes. Image credit: NASA

A planet in orbit around the star would cause its brightness to dip at regular intervals, and maintain a consistent, symmetrical shape. That’s not what happened with KIC 8462852. There was a significant dip in brightness in 2009, again in 2011, and in 2013, over the span of about three months, the starlight dimmed multiple times. Not only that, but the durations were of different lengths, and the objects passing in front of it appear to be of different sizes — the largest of which is about 1000 times the size of the planet Earth.

A number of astronomers have come up with a number of theories to explain what’s happening way up there. It could be planets, dust clouds, or asteroid belts. The best theory (decided by the people who qualify such things) is that the dimming is caused by a swarm of comets circling the planet. But the truth is that nobody really knows, because nobody has ever seen anything like this before.

Now, here’s where things get really interesting to those of us who aren’t astronomy enthusiasts. Because this is cosmic behavior that has never been observed, it can’t be ruled out that it’s the work of extraterrestrials. That’s right. Aliens. It’s possible that the dimming is caused by a Dyson Sphere, which is a mega-structure build to harness the energy of a sun. The technology and resources required to create such a thing are so advanced, that if this is the case, these aliens could have us for lunch if they get tired of us spying on them.

Another theory — and yes, this has actually been considered—is that its evidence of an interstellar attack. Remember in the original Star Wars when Darth Vader blew up Princess Leia’s planet (or in the new one where they did pretty much the same thing)? It’s possible that this actually happened.

Okay, let’s be honest. When the cause of something is unknown, it’s easy for imaginations to run wild. There’s no solid proof this matter has anything to do with aliens. But again, it can’t be ruled out. We need to know what the hell is going on up there, so Tabetha Boyajian and her team have launched a Kickstarter campaign to secure funding to continue observing the star and find some answers.

As of this writing, they are well short of their goal, so if you’re interested in crazy outer space shenanigans, you should pop on over to their page and give them a few bucks. And to amend the earlier criticism of the creativity of scientists, their project is nicknamed “Where’s the Flux?” or “WTF?”

 

  
sam rogers
Jun. 07, 2016

Comments

Comment has been published successfully..!!
From VOICEDMARKET
What’s this?

What is this?

Voiced Market offers exclusive deals on products and services from brands big and small. Customers can find their favorite items and get introduced to new ones, all at a fraction of the normal retail price. Voiced Market believes in giving brands of all sizes an equal opportunity, and also cares about giving back, devoting a percentage of its profits to help educate and feed those in need. Have a product or service you'd like to sell? Contact us at [email protected]

$150 Aspiration Bank Account Signup Bonus
View Deal
Free $5 Bonus From Investment App Stash
View Deal
Up To $300 Bonus On Student Loan Refinance With Credible
View Deal
Show more deals

Popular on VOICED

Here’s How I Knew I Was In A Loving, Committed Relationship


  
Jennifer Pacheco
May. 13, 2022 Read more

Reasons Why I Get A New Tattoo Whenever I'm Down On My Mental ...


  
Jennifer Pacheco
Feb. 11, 2022 Read more

How And Why Workplace Tattoos Are Finally Okay


  
Samantha Toner
Dec. 01, 2021 Read more

When I’m Down On My Mental Health, Here’s What I Do


  
Jennifer Pacheco
Nov. 24, 2021 Read more

9 Ways Long Distance Relationships Can Work & Be Great


  
Jennifer Pacheco
Oct. 26, 2021 Read more

5 Reasons Why Baking is My New Anger-Management Tool


  
Samantha Toner
Oct. 07, 2021 Read more

What No One Told Me About Adopting A Dog


  
Samantha Toner
Oct. 05, 2021 Read more

Why I Agree The '3-4 rule' And Not Chemistry Is The Key To Las...


  
holly chavez
Sep. 13, 2021 Read more

Here’s 7 Reasons Why I’m Having More Fun Staying In vs. Going ...


  
Jennifer Pacheco
Aug. 28, 2021 Read more

How Marijuana Use Is Destroying The Planet, And 6 Ways To Fix It


  
holly chavez
Aug. 18, 2021 Read more

Do We Really Need To Bathe So Much? Here's Why We Don’t


  
holly chavez
Aug. 17, 2021 Read more

8 Things That Always Make Me Happy And Will Probably Make You Too


  
Jennifer Pacheco
Jul. 13, 2021 Read more

Why I Think People Will Want To Work In Close Quarters Again


  
Jennifer Pacheco
May. 28, 2021 Read more

Why Online Dating Is The Worst It’s Ever Been


  
Jennifer Pacheco
Mar. 03, 2021 Read more

14 Ways Politicians Are Exactly Like Toddlers


  
lynsey free
Jan. 15, 2021 Read more

VOICED®

Every Voice Matters®

Menu
  • About
  • Sign Up
  •  
  • Code of Conduct
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Interact with us

Interact with us

© 2016-2023 Voiced Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.