Strange astronomic structures around KIC 8462852

[Proteus_MST]

Seems like Kepler uncovered strange structures around a 1500 ly distant star, which currently cannot be adequately explained by natural processes or measuring errors/telescope defects.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/10/14/weird_star_strange_dips_in_brightness_are_a_bit_baffling.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/forget-water-on-mars-astronomers-may-have-just-found-giant-alien-megastructures-orbiting-a-star-near-a6693886.html

While, of course, there won´t be any official press releases about aliens by the Kepler team ... and also the scientific paper concerning KIC 8462852 doesn´t mention aliens with one word (and of course, aliens always are taken a the last possible explanation behind natural processes), the phenomen still seems to be the closest thing since the WOW! signal, that implies a connection with alien civilizations.

Guess it will be interesting if the astronomers will uncover the secret of KIC 8462852, no matter whether its explanation is natural processes or of alien nature

[kentonio]

Yeah its interesting. Was thinking about the WOW! signal the other day. People constantly ask why it is that we've never seen any sign of life out there, but then when things like the Wow! signal happen we just tend to assume there must be a natural explanation that we haven't found yet.

[Lorizael]

Well, not structures. Just the light of a star dimming in hard to make sense of ways. Still very cool.

I think the reason we tend to dismiss the wow signal is because it only happened just that once. Science is all about reproducibility after all.

[Donegeal]

I've been posting about this on FB. While I think a planetary cataclysm is just as possible as aliens, it is certainly something to keep track on. The next observation is in January. Look for updates either right away if radio signals are detected or February if not.

[Donegeal]

With the presence of liquid water on Mars, the discovery of water on the Moon, the distinct possibility of water on moons of both Jupiter and Saturn and what appears to be water on Pluto, I think we may not only discover life in the Solar system outside of Earth, but we will discover that it may be plentiful. Intelligence may be the rarity in the universe rather than life.

[N35t0r]

Amazing

I, for one, will welcome our new alien overlords. At least until they eat us all.

[pchang]

If the planetary collision was between 2 big ice moons (or things composed mostly of ice), I am not sure there would be an excess of IR.

[kentonio]

Well, not structures. Just the light of a star dimming in hard to make sense of ways. Still very cool.

I think the reason we tend to dismiss the wow signal is because it only happened just that once. Science is all about reproducibility after all.

True, and I definitely don't think we should jump to any conclusions, but I can just picture a future where people look back and go 'Well, you kind of had the clues right there'.

[onodera]

Intelligence may be the rarity in the universe rather than life.

Intelligence is rare on mother****ing Earth, let alone in the Universe.

[Donegeal]

I knew there'd be at least one moron.

[Dauphin]

Well, not structures. Just the light of a star dimming in hard to make sense of ways. Still very cool.

I think the reason we tend to dismiss the wow signal is because it only happened just that once. Science is all about reproducibility after all.

Isn't there a potential irony in the logic of the wow signal. It was found in a narrow band that is considered highly likely to be chosen for interstellar communication. In order to assist scientist identify such signals, the band is restricted from terrestrial use to avoid signal noise or some such. So, any aliens looking for us would find nothing in this band. If other alien species follow the same logic as us, everyone is listening and nobody is calling.

[The Mad Monk]

Safer that way.

[Lorizael]

Isn't there a potential irony in the logic of the wow signal. It was found in a narrow band that is considered highly likely to be chosen for interstellar communication. In order to assist scientist identify such signals, the band is restricted from terrestrial use to avoid signal noise or some such. So, any aliens looking for us would find nothing in this band. If other alien species follow the same logic as us, everyone is listening and nobody is calling.

There's a branch of SETI that talks about proposals for communicating with aliens. The general idea is that, regardless of the frequency used, accidental communication is probably going to be hard to pull off. The power of most local signals we send is so low that over interstellar distances, they're going to be very hard to pick up anyway.

[Proteus_MST]

A short while ago they used the antennas in order to send a message to one or both of the possible origins of the Wow! signal.

But of course, considering the things that have to fit (like a radiotelescope of the aliens being directed in roughly the direction of our solar system (and listening) right at the time when the signals arrive) the chances will be miniscule, that the signals reach any listener ... even if there is a technological advanced alien civilization at the origin of the Wow! signal.

[pchang]

And we'll only have to wait a few thousand years to have our answer!