In 2015, the previously unremarkable star KIC 8462852 (Tabby's star) suddenly became world famous. The reason for this was the publication of an article telling about the mysterious changes in the brightness of the star. Among the many possible explanations for the phenomenon, the researchers casually mentioned the hypothetical possibility that the tarnishing of the star is caused by astrostructures. This was enough to attract the attention of the press. As a result, many publications appeared in the media telling about aliens building an analogue of the Dyson sphere around KIC 8462852.
Alas, the available data in no way support this exciting hypothesis. According to the most popular version, the brightness drops of KIC 8462852 are associated with the surrounding dust clouds. At the moment, astronomers are still continuing to observe the system, trying to detect new changes in its brightness.
And now it looks like the star Tabby has a competitor. We are talking about a red dwarf EPIC 204376071. It is located at a distance of 440 light years from Earth in the constellation Scorpio. Its radius is 63%, its mass is 16%, and its luminosity is 3% of the solar one. The star is very young, according to scientists, it formed about 10 million years ago.
While analyzing the data collected by the Kepler telescope, astronomers noticed an unusually strong dimming of EPIC 204376071, during which the luminary reduced its brightness by 80%. The "Eclipse" lasted one day. The star's brightness curve was asymmetric. It faded faster than it regained its original luminosity.
Of course, red dwarfs (especially young ones) are known for sharp fluctuations in brightness. However, an 80% drop in brightness is unusual, even by the standards of such stars. Initially, astronomers assumed that Kepler detected the transit of an invisible satellite EPIC 204376071, which has a ring system. But simulations have shown that a companion capable of eclipsing a star by 80% must have a rotation period of 28 days. At the same time, over 160 days of observations, Kepler saw only one tarnishing of EPIC 204376071.
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According to another version, the drop in brightness is caused by the passage of a dust cloud, which has different densities in different areas. At the same time, the results of computer modeling of such a situation do not quite coincide with the data of Kepler.
Therefore, astronomers are planning to perform a series of new observations of the system. Specifically, they want to measure the star's radial velocity to determine if it has massive companions. In addition, the researchers are looking for signs of light scattering, indicating the possible presence of dusty structures around EPIC 204376071.