https://www.livescience.com/alien-megastructure-mysteriously-dimming-stars.html?utm_source=lst-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190920-lst

Schmidt noted that the Northern Sky Variable Survey he searched for potential counterparts of Boyajian’s star did not contain records of Boyajian’s star itself darkening during the year of data in that catalog.

I find that interesting and amusing and showing how little we know :)

I think gas / dust clouds is the likely explanation

Dimming to 22 %

Wouldnt Dyson spheres require more than 22 percent coverage of a star to be effective?

or maybe they are still building one?

rumpole said:

https://www.livescience.com/alien-megastructure-mysteriously-dimming-stars.html?utm_source=lst-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190920-lst

‘Livescience’, indeed.

I seem to remember this topic being bandied about in various parts of the media quite some many months back.

When the editor is after you to ‘write something, for Chrissake, we need something to fill the gaps between the ads’, there’s no more efficient ploy than riffling through the archives, and attaching your by-line to an old story (slightly altered).

Tau.Neutrino said:

I think gas / dust clouds is the likely explanation

Dimming to 22 %

Wouldnt Dyson spheres require more than 22 percent coverage of a star to be effective?

or maybe they are still building one?

Sounds like they have a global warming problem.

How long do gas / dust clouds take to move pass distant objects?

Dark matter ?

rumpole said:

Dark matter ?

Unlikely, I think light passes through it.

Tau.Neutrino said:

rumpole said:

Dark matter ?

Unlikely, I think light passes through it.

from

https://home.cern/science/physics/dark-matter

Unlike normal matter, dark matter does not interact with the electromagnetic force. This means it does not absorb, reflect or emit light, making it extremely hard to spot. In fact, researchers have been able to infer the existence of dark matter only from the gravitational effect it seems to have on visible matter.

My bet is still on sunspots.

Tau.Neutrino said:

How long do gas / dust clouds take to move pass distant objects?

I can answer that, because i did an analysis of the Kepler data. I can’t remember the exact time off hand, but about 10 to 20 times as long as a planet in the same orbit. We identify it as a gas / dust cloud because the opacity has many rises and falls as it passes across, almost like a bar code.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabby%27s_Star

How long do sunspots last in distant stars (not earth)

‘Toowoomba’s water supply has been secured by a $187-million, 38-kilometre pipeline connecting it to Brisbane’s water supply.’ – ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-22/diy-recycled-watering-system-keeps-drought-hit-garden-alive/11535532).

We see it differently in Toowoomba. It looks more to us like ‘Brisbane’s\water supply has been secured by a…pipeline connecting it to Toowoomba’s water supply’.

Because it’s a funny thing, but no-one thought of building this pipeline until just a few years back, when it looked like Brisbane was having water shortage issues.

We’re well aware that pipes can flow in two directions, and that if it came to a choice, we’d be a distant second on the priorities list.

Sorry about that, wrong thread.

Brain not yet entirely awake.

captain_spalding said:

Sorry about that, wrong thread.

Brain not yet entirely awake.

I suggest the addition of caffeine.

Tamb said:

captain_spalding said:

Sorry about that, wrong thread.

Brain not yet entirely awake.

I suggest the addition of caffeine.

—> Artificial intelligence thread.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Tamb said:

captain_spalding said:

Sorry about that, wrong thread.

Brain not yet entirely awake.

I suggest the addition of caffeine.

—> Artificial intelligence thread.

It could be argued that caffeine provides artificial intelligence.