Bizarre Data From Star May Suggest Solar-Collecting Megastructure

[Renzatic]

Yeah, I used the title of the article, but really, there's no better way to explain it.

Those strange readings could, of course, be anything. But if we do discover they're caused by an extra-terrestrial civilization advanced enough to build Dyson Spheres...

...we're going to space, folks!

 

[localoid]

Next week on The Twilight Zone, Mr. Richard Kiel stars in "An Odd Occurrence on KIC 8462852"...

 

[monokakata]

What's interesting to me is that in the articles I've seen, the astronomers are saying, in effect, that alien structures would be the very last choice as an explanation, but that it's not a stupid explanation.

And even better, there is a path forward, which takes this whole thing out of the realm of the crazies. In the not too distant future one of the larger radio telescopes will be pointed towards that star, and then not too long after that, one of the monster radio telescopes will be.

So probably some time in 2016 careful researchers will be able to say "nothing found," or "interesting stuff has come in."

It's exciting.

 

[Renzatic]

What's interesting to me is that in the articles I've seen, the astronomers are saying, in effect, that alien structures would be the very last choice as an explanation, but that it's not a stupid explanation.

And even better, there is a path forward, which takes this whole thing out of the realm of the crazies. In the not too distant future one of the larger radio telescopes will be pointed towards that star, and then not too long after that, one of the monster radio telescopes will be.

So probably some time in 2016 careful researchers will be able to say "nothing found," or "interesting stuff has come in."

It's exciting.

Yup. While an alien civilization would be assumption made after more the more mundane options have been considered, they're entertaining the notion strongly enough to do exactly what you said: point one our radio telescopes towards it and scan the EM spectrum for any signs of communication we'd associate with an advanced civilization.

It's interesting stuff.

 

[AngerDanger]

Golly, it's embarrassing to think they might've pointed one of their radio telescopes at us during something really inane. It's a good thing we don't have a Dyson sphere to make us conspicuous.

 

[localoid]

Golly, it's embarrassing to think they might've pointed one of their radio telescopes at us during something really inane. It's a good thing we don't have a Dyson sphere to make us conspicuous.

Not to worry... If an alien civilization located somewhere in the general vicinity of KIC 8462852 had recently pointed a radio telescope at earth they would likely have heard no radio waves coming from our home planet. Why? Because KIC 8462852 is about 1,465 light-years from earth and the first human-generated radio waves that left earth during the late 1890s through the early 1900s have only been able to travel about 110 light years away from earth out into space.