Fluctuations in the luminosity of Tabby's star may indicate the presence of artificial structures nearby
The RAS included in the research program the task of explaining the incomprehensible fluctuations in the luminosity of Tabby's star. Its irregular attenuation contradicts the known laws of physics. Even a hypothesis has been put forward that the star has a so-called Dyson sphere - an artificial structure for using the energy of the star. Russian scientists cannot rule out such a version, which means, in fact, the existence of an alien intelligence.
The program of fundamental space research for 2018, approved by the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Izvestia has a copy), provides for work to determine the properties of the astrophysical object KIC 8462852 (Tabby's star in the constellation Cygnus, 1500 light-years from Earth). The Kepler Space Telescope, specifically designed to search for planets in other star systems, found Tabby's irregular luminosity decrease of 20%. If the star was partially covered by its planet, this would happen at regular intervals.
The Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been tasked with dealing with the strange star. The group of specialists was headed by Leonid Ksenfomality, chief researcher of the Department of Physics of Planets and Small Bodies of the Solar System of the IKI. Scientists will have to calculate the parameters of the orbit of an object eclipsing the star, assess the frequency of this event, test various hypotheses and develop requirements for observations of a distant star.
A group of American astrophysicists, in a 2015 publication in the prestigious scientific journal The Astrophysical Journal, proposed an exotic explanation for the behavior of Tabby's star. In their opinion, this luminary may be surrounded by an artificial megastructure built by a highly developed civilization. The hypothesis of the existence of such structures in the middle of the 20th century was expressed by the American theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson. He suggested that extraterrestrials could use huge solar panels combined into a sphere to collect energy from a star. Such buildings have not yet been discovered, but have already received the name: "Dyson's sphere".
Russian scientists are going to check this version too. But in the research program approved by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the main hypothesis is proposed that the star is unevenly shaded by a family of comets.
“We have been tasked with finding convincing explanations,” Leonid Ksenfomality told Izvestia. - Observational data contradict the laws of physics. This can be explained either by measurement errors or by their incorrect interpretation. This object is being studied by many foreign colleagues, there are many publications in the scientific press, but there is still no generally accepted explanation. One of the versions is traces of a civilization that once existed, which disappeared, leaving behind such monuments. The mystery is of great interest to specialists. But the search for an answer will apparently take a long time.
While Russian scientists will carry out calculations based on already available data, ground-based observatories will be connected to the project in the future. Unfortunately, the Kepler orbiting telescope, which discovered the mysterious star, went out of order in 2013.
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According to the popularizer of cosmonautics Vitaly Egorov, by solving the mystery, Russian scientists want to compensate for the lag in the search for planets in other star systems.
“Of the thousands of exoplanets discovered by astronomers, only a few were discovered with the participation of Russian scientists,” said Vitaly Egorov. - In order to make up for lost time and not to chase after quantity, it was decided to focus efforts on complex issues, big problems of science. The popularity of this topic is also important. If the results are obtained, the success of our scientists will be worldwide.
One of the most recent publications about the star Tabby was made by specialists from the California Institute of Technology in The Astrophysical Journal. In their opinion, an inhomogeneous cloud of dust can revolve around this star.
Dmitry Strugovets