Basically, a lot of things that would normally explain the light curve of this star don't work here, and something larger than the star itself must periodically be blocking the star's light. None of the other stars in Kepler's field of view have similar brightness shifts, and most sources of error have been ruled out.
Explanations include some pretty low probability natural phenomena, or the even lower probability aliens1!! Aliens are more likely than normal because this is the kind of signal you'd expect from a portion of a Dyson sphere.
1. "RE: Dyson sphere candidate discovered in Cygnus"
In response to message #0
>Explanations include some pretty low probability natural phenomena, or >the even lower probability aliens1!! Aliens are more likely than >normal because this is the kind of signal you'd expect from a portion >of a Dyson sphere.
Yeah, I've seen articles tweeted about to this effect, mainly by people who are really, really not skeptical enough. (And I don't mean skeptical in the sarcastic "shyeah, right," sense, I mean it in the "let's be having the findings, then" sense.) I will be impressed almost beyond the bounds of human ken if this turns out to be true, but a lot of people are turning off their critical thinking modules at the mere prospect, which is a bit annoying. Every time something like that comes along, people ZOMG about it, and then it turns out not to be the case, the threshold for the public being engaged (and convinced) when it actually happens gets higher.
That said, it's very interesting that the findings so far seem to skew Ockham's razor a little. There is still the statistical improbability of a civilization capable of doing something like that being observably proximate to humanity in both space and time - but improbable things are, after all, not impossible.
Also, I'm just going to take a moment and be That Guy: If the star can be seen at all, it's at most a Dyson swarm, not a complete sphere. :)
--G. -><- Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ zgryphon at that email service Google has Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
-VR "It looks like the star has been embedded in hair!" "They copied all they could follow, but they couldn't copy my mind, And I left 'em sweating and stealing a year and a half behind."
3. "RE: Dyson sphere candidate discovered in Cygnus"
In response to message #1
>Also, I'm just going to take a moment and be That Guy: If the star can >be seen at all, it's at most a Dyson swarm, not a complete sphere. :)
Or it's still under construction, running into delays, and government bureaucracy decided that since the official opening was last year, it's a sphere, even if there's holes in it.
Anyway, as always, I'm hopeful, but grain of salt and all that.
4. "RE: Dyson sphere candidate discovered in Cygnus"
In response to message #3
> Also, I'm just going to take a moment and be That Guy: If the star can be seen at all, it's at most a Dyson swarm, not a complete sphere. :)
Thanks, That Guy! We are all more educated now.
> Or it's still under construction, running into delays, and government bureaucracy decided that since the official opening was last year, it's a sphere, even if there's holes in it.
More like running out of money. www.schlockmercenary.com/2002-03-09|Buuthandi are known to be expensive fuckers.>
6. "RE: Dyson sphere candidate discovered in Cygnus"
In response to message #1
> >Also, I'm just going to take a moment and be That Guy: If the star can >be seen at all, it's at most a Dyson swarm, not a complete sphere. :) > >--G.
Dyson wiffle ball?
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