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Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 03:40 AM Oct 2015

Allen Telescope Array Trains Its Sights On The 'Most Mysterious Star

The search for signs of life in a mysterious star system hypothesized to potentially harbor an "alien megastructure" is now underway.

Astronomers have begun using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), a system of radio dishes about 300 miles (483 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, to hunt for signals coming from the vicinity of KIC 8462852, a star that lies 1,500 light-years from Earth.


“We are looking at it with the Allen Telescope Array,” Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in California, told Space.com Monday. However, addressing the excitement that the discovery has stirred, he urged a bit more calm and clearheaded approach.

“[People] should perhaps moderate their enthusiasm with the lessons of history,” he said. “History suggests we're going to find an explanation for this that doesn't involve Klingons, if you will.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/15/the-strange-star-that-has-serious-scientists-talking-about-an-alien-megastructure/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_p1most&utm_content=buffere6e37&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://www.space.com/30855-alien-life-search-kepler-megastructure.html


The fact is that two of the dimmings that have been observed blocked 15% and 22% of the star's brightness, respectively. Something the size of Jupiter at the same distance as whatever is blocking the light would only block about 1% of the star's light, so whatever it is, it has a diameter much bigger than a planet.

Because this star has an F3 spectral class, natural variability in the star's brightness has been ruled out. A major planetary collision causing a debri cloud has been ruled out due to no excess infrared radiation being detected and due to improbability. Many hypotheses such as this have been raised, but many don't fit the data. Some have proposed companion stars with protoplanetary disks, which may be a possibility. Whatever it is, it's going to have to fit the gravitational profile that's been observed. For example, if we don't see gravitational lensing, it can't be a compact body like a black hole. Basically, astronomers have no real good explanation right now, and when that's the case, checking for alien civilizations that might create megastructures is a reasonable action to take.

This is a fascinating puzzle and I am looking forward to hearing more about it and related research in the future.

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Allen Telescope Array Trains Its Sights On The 'Most Mysterious Star (Original Post) Ichingcarpenter Oct 2015 OP
It is all good! longship Oct 2015 #1
It didn't really make sense, what the Vogons did. DetlefK Oct 2015 #2
Apparently that's not true in a universe with infinite improbability drives. longship Oct 2015 #3
OMG. I just found a huge mistake in "HGttG". DetlefK Oct 2015 #6
Petunia to you, too. ;-) longship Oct 2015 #7
"almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea" DetlefK Oct 2015 #9
Which is why Ichingcarpenter Oct 2015 #4
You have the wrong Marvin. longship Oct 2015 #5
Seti searching that star system for intellgent life communication may find Ichingcarpenter Oct 2015 #8
Oh dear! Not the Vogon poetry generator again. longship Oct 2015 #10
See, see the cuddly battleship sky... NeoGreen Oct 2015 #11
I keep reading that as "Alien Telescope Array" ... eppur_se_muova Oct 2015 #12

longship

(40,416 posts)
1. It is all good!
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 04:58 AM
Oct 2015

Either it is Klingons, or new science.

Or a ginormous Death Star project?
Admiral, you can fire when ready.



R&K

on edit: I did not suggest a Vogon constructor fleet mainly because the poetry alone would be too cruel.

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)
2. It didn't really make sense, what the Vogons did.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 05:11 AM
Oct 2015

Blow up Earth to make way for an interstellar highway? Earth revolves around the Sun! Just wait a little bit and it will move out of the way on its own!

longship

(40,416 posts)
3. Apparently that's not true in a universe with infinite improbability drives.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 05:15 AM
Oct 2015

And three armed, two-headed galactic presidents.

Check out that frood. He really knows where his towel is.


DetlefK

(16,423 posts)
6. OMG. I just found a huge mistake in "HGttG".
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 06:18 AM
Oct 2015

The inventor of the Improbability-Drive powered the prototype with the brownian chaos of a hot cup of tea... And yet the computer of the Heart of Gold doesn't know what tea is and crashes while trying to reproduce tea...





To quote the flower-pot: "Not again!"

longship

(40,416 posts)
7. Petunia to you, too. ;-)
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 06:25 AM
Oct 2015

You forgot that the computer constructed something:

He had found a Nutri-Matic machine which had provided him with a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.


So it did its best.

longship

(40,416 posts)
5. You have the wrong Marvin.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 06:09 AM
Oct 2015

Everybody knows that this is the only proper Marvin.






See here:


Your plastic pal who's fun to be with:

Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
8. Seti searching that star system for intellgent life communication may find
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 06:30 AM
Oct 2015

all that they find is noise, however, as Snowden said in an interview with Neil Degrasse Tyson, their communication may be so advance encrypted that we can never really understand or know what to look for or may be in a form of some quantum spookiness


As related to this news breaking

Sorry, Einstein. Quantum Study Suggests ‘Spooky Action’ Is Real.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/science/quantum-theory-experiment-said-to-prove-spooky-interactions.html









Now for some poetry which I know you will enjoy.

Vogon Poetry Generator

http://tonybaldwin.me/pages/vogon.php

NeoGreen

(4,030 posts)
11. See, see the cuddly battleship sky...
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 07:15 AM
Oct 2015

Your Vogon Poem:

See, see the cuddly battleship sky
Marvel at its big vomititus grey depths.
Tell me, Frodo do you
Wonder why the o'possum ignores you?
Why its foobly stare
makes you feel weak, frumpy and aged.
I can tell you, it is
Worried by your vogonesstarian facial growth
That looks like 
A congealed beef fat
What's more, it knows 
Your moist potting shed
Smells of lentils.
Everything under the big cuddly battleship sky
Asks why, why do I even bother?
You only charm rotted eggs.

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