Aliens unfortunately aren't causing Tabby's star to flicker
- 6 years ago
SPACE — Scientists say they now have an explanation for why Tabby's Star flickers — space dust.
Thanks to a Kickstarter crowdfunded astronomy project, a team of 200 scientists now believe a cloud of dust particles is causing the star to appear to flicker, the Washington Post reported.
KIC 8462852 — the official star name — is best known for its sudden drops in brightness, according to Science News.
Researchers reported that Tabby Star grew dimmer in blue wavelengths than in red ones, Science News reported.
The dimming is most likely being caused by dust particles less than a micrometer in size.
The researchers will next try to determine where the dust originates from.
Thanks to a Kickstarter crowdfunded astronomy project, a team of 200 scientists now believe a cloud of dust particles is causing the star to appear to flicker, the Washington Post reported.
KIC 8462852 — the official star name — is best known for its sudden drops in brightness, according to Science News.
Researchers reported that Tabby Star grew dimmer in blue wavelengths than in red ones, Science News reported.
The dimming is most likely being caused by dust particles less than a micrometer in size.
The researchers will next try to determine where the dust originates from.