The Mysterious Flicker Behind Star KIC 8462852
11:53 minutes
In a paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers described a star over 1,400 light years away that dims and glows in a strange flickering pattern. Astronomers Debra Fischer, who was an author on the paper, and Jason Wright explore ideas—from swarming comets to alien megastructures—that could explain the star’s mysterious glow.
Debra Fischer is a Professor of Astronomy at Yale University.
Jason Wright is an Associate Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Alexa Lim is a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.