#exocomet

There were two pieces of news relating to space recently. Thirty years ago we knew there were stars. Now we know there are exoplanets and over 4,000 of them have been found. Many of these are much larger than Jupiter, but that may be because the bigger they are, the easier it is to find them. There are a number of planets very close to small stars for the same reason. Around one giant planet…

What’s Orbiting KIC 8462852 – Shattered Comet or Alien Megastructure?

Something other than a transiting planet makes KIC 8462852 fluctuate wildly and unpredictably in brightness. Astronomers suspect a crumbled comet, but the cause remains a mystery. Credit: NASA

“Bizarre.” “Interesting.” “Giant transit”.  That were the reactions of Planet Hunters project volunteers when they got their first look at the light curve of the otherwise normal sun-like star KIC 8462852.