WTF Star goes all WTF again

May 22, 2017 7:22 AM

A year and a half ago, F-class star KIC 8462852 (a.k.a. Tabby's Star or Boyajian's Star after Dr. Tabetha Boyajian) was noted to have strange emission patterns, kicking off a spate of stories about how the patterns are totally due to alien megastructures, such as a Dyson sphere. Now KIC 8462852 is at it again.
posted by Etrigan (43 comments total)

please be aliens please be aliens please be aliens
posted by Rock Steady at 7:35 AM on May 22, 2017 [16 favorites]

As long as they're not the "come to Earth and kill us all" kind, although if they have Banksian megastructures, they probably wouldn't bother.

But yeah, the discovery of actual alien intelligences would compensate for a lot of bad stuff as far as I'm concerned, psychologically speaking. Human life seems to be pretty garbage, but if some other civilization had survived long enough to get to what we hope is fully automated gay space communism, it would cheer me right up.
posted by Frowner at 7:48 AM on May 22, 2017 [29 favorites]

As long as they're not the "come to Earth and kill us all" kind

Now, now, let's not take anything off the table.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:51 AM on May 22, 2017 [18 favorites]

Metafilter: Fully automated gay space communism
posted by slater at 7:55 AM on May 22, 2017 [26 favorites]

Human life seems to be pretty garbage

"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." Mr. Rogers
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 8:15 AM on May 22, 2017 [15 favorites]

As long as they're not the "come to Earth and kill us all" kind

Any civilization that can build a Dyson sphere sure doesn't need anything from us. I think the only way they would kill us would be as a side effect. Like if we noticed Jupiter started losing mass because they were sucking it dry for resources.
posted by lumpenprole at 8:20 AM on May 22, 2017 [5 favorites]

When I see an ant in my house I kill it, both despite and because I don't need anything from it.
posted by ejs at 8:23 AM on May 22, 2017 [7 favorites]

I'm just not buying the Dyson sphere theory. As cool it is, I just think it's too big a leap to go from something like this to completely enclosing a star, especially one that's like almost 1,500 light years away.
posted by Naberius at 8:23 AM on May 22, 2017 [6 favorites]

As long as they're not the "come to Earth and kill us all" kind

Even if they are, I'm not too worried. They're 1300 light-years away.
posted by tclark at 8:24 AM on May 22, 2017

They're 1300 light-years away.

Have you read no science fiction? Surely the gay space communists have an FTL drive. (And an ansible, etc etc) Maybe they're already among us, a la "The State of the Art", although if so they could be doing a better job IMO.

I mean, once we're postulating gay space communists, we might as well add the FTL drive, that's what I say. I need all the optimism I can get right now.
posted by Frowner at 8:31 AM on May 22, 2017 [7 favorites]

It depends on the kind of gay space people. If it's fully automated luxury gay space communism we're in the pink. All we have to do is listen to the radio broadcast and let the automation self-assemble, bringing us a life of luxury gay space communism. OTOH it might be fully insurrectionary luxury queer space anarchism, in which case life is going to get more interesting.
posted by Nelson at 8:38 AM on May 22, 2017 [3 favorites]

Any civilization that can build a Dyson sphere sure doesn't need anything from us.

Unless they want to build a hyperspace bypass through our solar system.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:45 AM on May 22, 2017 [16 favorites]

Presumably if they're advanced enough to build a Dyson sphere, they don't need to come over here and suck up Jupiter anyway, because there'd be better choices for materials closer to their own neighborhood.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:45 AM on May 22, 2017

there'd be better choices for materials closer to their own neighborhood.

For now.
posted by Etrigan at 8:47 AM on May 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

At this point I'm willing to entertain the idea that the gay space communists have built a holographic beacon and are preparing to project four spectacular apocalyptic horsemen over Jerusalem just for kicks, because that would actually make a certain amount of sense.
posted by vverse23 at 8:52 AM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Dr. Google says there's a bunch of crap in Cygnus that would presumably be much better sources of space garbage than puny ol' Jupiter. Including a potential black hole? Put a big space net in front of that thing and filter out all the asteroids and comets you want.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:54 AM on May 22, 2017

Are we sure this is not just a black hole sun, come to wash away the rain? Because this recent dimming seems to have co-incided with my gazing at the pitiless heavens and screaming, "WON'T YOU COME??? WON'T YOU COME??? WON'T YOU COME???," in tribute to a certain gentlemen whom no-one sings like, anymore :-(
posted by the quidnunc kid at 8:57 AM on May 22, 2017 [25 favorites]

I think that even after we find the cause of the dimming (I'm confident that no, it isn't aliens), this is a wonderful example of how weird and diverse other planetary systems can be. I remember when the assumption in textbooks was that other planetary systems woud be much like ours: some rocky inner system planets, some gas giants in the outer system, and so on. But now we are learning how wildly diverse planetary systems are- they don't have to look at all like our own.

Oddly enough, I think this actually decreases the chances of life out there- we now know there's no particular reason why any planetary system has to be arranged in a manner that allows for a life-bearing planet to result.
posted by happyroach at 9:28 AM on May 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Any civilization that can build a Dyson sphere sure doesn't need anything from us.

That's what everybody says just before the solar-power-output interstellar gamma ray sunbeam lights up and vaporizes their planet.
posted by The Tensor at 9:30 AM on May 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Unless they want to build a hyperspace bypass through our solar system.

Lucky escape for Arsenal, then.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:36 AM on May 22, 2017 [14 favorites]

I think the ballast is going out. I know I replaced all of the ballast-controlled suns in my shop with direct-wire LEDs and could not be more pleased.
posted by maxwelton at 9:37 AM on May 22, 2017 [9 favorites]

Any civilization that can build a Dyson sphere sure doesn't need anything from us.

Just like any civilization that can invent the iPhone doesn't need anything from the Chinese.
posted by Naberius at 9:38 AM on May 22, 2017 [5 favorites]

I think the ballast is going out. I know I replaced all of the ballast-controlled suns in my shop with direct-wire LEDs and could not be more pleased.

Thanks, pal. This would severely reduce my job security, as I am one of the two people at where I work that will change a bad ballast.
posted by Samizdata at 9:57 AM on May 22, 2017 [3 favorites]

Apparently there is work to be had in the Tally's Star system. Not sure if they offer relocation assistance.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:51 AM on May 22, 2017

To move off the Dyson sphere talk, I've always been annoyed by this star being called Tabby's star.

Jason Wright, a PSU astronomer, is possibly responsible, as he describes here. In short, when there was buzz about the new star, and no one could remember the star's phone number (KIC 8462852), he referred to it as Tabby's star, since Tabby told him about it before publication. Which makes sense; if another astronomer has a project they're working on, and you have to describe it, you'll probably say XX's thing, where XX is what you usually call them. But, in calling the star that to a reporter, everyone started calling it Tabby's Star.

Now (and, to be fair to Jason Wright, he acknowledges this in the previous link) that means we have a whole host of things named after predominantly white, male astronomers -- Hubble's constant, the Eddington Limit, the Jeans Mass, Barnard's Star -- and a star now named after a female astronomer -- Tabby's Star. The difference, of course, is that here we use not only her first name, but the diminutive form of it.

I'm glad that there seems to be more traction for Boyajian's star developing, even among the media (be better, Ars Technica), but I wish the exoplanet community had recognized this sooner and stopped "Tabby's Star" from gaining traction.
posted by miguelcervantes at 11:41 AM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

The only way to defend against a Dyson Sphere is to launch a fleet of Dyson Vacuums into space.
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:53 AM on May 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Related: This American life on the emotional ramifications of the Fermi Paradox.
posted by subtle_squid at 1:45 PM on May 22, 2017

Any help pronouncing "Boyajian"? That was a good point re: naming conventions.
posted by BS Artisan at 5:17 PM on May 22, 2017

The pronunciation is boy-AH-zhun, per the good doctor herself.

(to quote Jason Wright, again, "with the j sounding like that in “Jean-Luc Picard” (that is, say “sh,” but use your voice, don’t whisper).")
posted by miguelcervantes at 5:23 PM on May 22, 2017 [3 favorites]

"Presumably if they're advanced enough to build a Dyson sphere, they don't need to come over here and suck up Jupiter anyway, because there'd be better choices for materials closer to their own neighborhood."

"I only use artisanal construction materials from Jupiter, it's a gas giant around a pretty distant minor star, you probably haven't heard of it."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:38 PM on May 22, 2017 [9 favorites]

Human life seems to be pretty garbage, but if some other civilization had survived long enough to get to what we hope is fully automated gay space communism, it would cheer me right up.

Our lights are dim
Our roads are crumbling
And we don't know what to do
We're sick and tired
And dying to meet you
'Cause we bit off more than
We can chew
posted by MrBadExample at 6:10 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

lumpenprole: "Any civilization that can build a Dyson sphere sure doesn't need anything from us. I think the only way they would kill us would be as a side effect. Like if we noticed Jupiter started losing mass because they were sucking it dry for resources."

Early elimination of potential rivals: whip an asteroid at any planet giving off radio waves and you'll put a crimp in any interstellar rival's take over plans.
posted by Mitheral at 6:25 PM on May 22, 2017

The difference, of course, is that here we use not only her first name, but the diminutive form of it.

I respect the point being made here, and it's something to guard against in the future. But Dr. Boyajian herself refers to #TabbysStar pretty freely on Twitter. She has retweeted others who call it #BoyajiansStar.
posted by bryon at 6:50 PM on May 22, 2017 [3 favorites]

Any civilization that can build a Dyson sphere sure doesn't need anything from us.

Klytus, I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 7:48 PM on May 22, 2017 [7 favorites]

there's no particular reason why any planetary system has to be arranged in a manner that allows for a life-bearing planet to result.

Of course we have no real clue what characteristics 'life-bearing planet' might encompass...
posted by HiroProtagonist at 8:52 PM on May 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

This is bullshit because I totally bought that star for my girlfriend fifteen years ago. It and all alien civilizations orbiting it are hers by right.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:48 AM on May 23, 2017 [4 favorites]

It's not a Dyson sphere, for three reasons. First, there's not enough infrared radiation, which Dyson spheres should have in abundance. Second, Dyson spheres look good, but they're overpriced and not terribly reliable, so any sufficiently advanced civilisation would ignore the marketing and buy something German instead. Third, it's never aliens. They really don't need the hassle.
posted by Devonian at 8:08 AM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's not FTL. FTL is poppycock. They fold space--you know, Travel Without Moving. Ansibles are real, though.

Anyhow, what you see now happened 1300 years ago, and they've already been here, an had one of their children elected president.
posted by mule98J at 9:03 AM on May 23, 2017

Early elimination of potential rivals: whip an asteroid at any planet giving off radio waves and you'll put a crimp in any interstellar rival's take over plans.

For what? If you can whip an asteroid from one solar system to another with that accuracy, we're beneath your notice. If you can casually travel to our asteroid belt, we're beneath your notice.

It's stupid human exceptionalism to think that we have anything anybody wants. We just don't. My favorite was Skyline where they came for our apparently super powerful brains. Yeah, about that......
posted by lumpenprole at 11:56 AM on May 23, 2017

My favorite was Skyline where they came for our apparently super powerful brains. Yeah, about that......
posted by lumpenprole at 11:56 AM on May 23 [+] [!]

Eponysterical
posted by The Tensor at 12:03 PM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

If you can whip an asteroid from one solar system to another with that accuracy, we're beneath your notice. If you can casually travel to our asteroid belt, we're beneath your notice.

The evil aliens in Under the Dome were their equivalent of kids zapping ants with a magnifying glass -- a piece of technology that has not existed for most of human history but now comes as a barely-used attachment on Swiss Army knives. If humanity is wiped out by an outside force, it will be teenagers taking their parents' asteroid-whipper out for a joyride.
posted by Etrigan at 12:12 PM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Since at present it is pretty much impossible to predict what alien beings who evolved under completely unknown conditions will do or want, any statement which begins either "aliens would ..." or "aliens wouldn't ..." is basically nonsense.
posted by kyrademon at 2:35 PM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

On YouTube there is a gent named Isaac Arthur who applied his sci-fi worldview to "Tabby's Star" If things like Sphere's of Dyson are of interest you might want to spend a day or 2 going over his content.
posted by rough ashlar at 5:22 PM on May 24, 2017