Not so long ago, scientists made a sensational statement that around one unusual star, located 1500 light years away from us, the existence of an "alien mega-structure" is allowed.
The first signs of the presence of this strange object were revealed by the Kepler telescope, an exoplanet hunter. Most stars glow with regular small drops in radiation intensity when planets orbiting around them pass between them and the tracker. But the blinking of Tabby's star has been erratic throughout the four years Kepler has been observing. Sometimes a decrease in the brightness of the glow by 20% was noted.
In September 2015, a group of scientists from Yale University, led by Professor Tabet Boyajayan, after whom the star was unofficially named, tried to understand what could be causing such a strange signal. Initially, the theory was chosen as an explanation about the passage of a cluster of dust from a large group of comets past the star.
A month later, the strange star gained worldwide popularity thanks to a statement by Professor Jason Wright of the University of Pennsylvania, who and his colleagues suggested that the shadowing could be caused by "alien mega-structures", such as giant satellites designed to collect solar energy.
Although there was no direct refutation of this theory, most astronomers were convinced that the likelihood of the existence of such structures, like aliens, is "very low."
But now, after the publication of the results of the latest studies of this star, carried out by astronomer Bradley Schaefer from the University of Louisiana, the theory of the existence of giant solar screens is taking on new life.
During the research, Bradley Schaefer found out that a much more serious mystery is connected with the star. In their research, Boyajayan's team used data from the Harvard University Archive of Scanned Starry Sky Images. The study began with photographs taken back in the 19th century. This was necessary to assess similar behavior of the star in the past, but no anomalies were identified.
Promotional video:
Schaefer decided that it was worth giving the star more attention. He measured averages over 5-year periods to estimate changes over time, and found that between 1890 and 1989, the star's glow decreased by about 20%.
To confirm the result of his research, Schaefer traveled to Harvard to look at the originals. He conducted a visual inspection of the images, which confirmed his calculations. Having made the necessary calculations, Schaefer determined that 648 thousand comets must fly in front of the star to create such a cloud of dust, each of which must be at least 200 km wide, which is absolutely improbable. Thus, the theory of possible contact with highly developed extraterrestrial civilizations is being developed again.