What obscured KIC 8462852 during its dramatic, aperiodic brightness dips?
Answer
Massive clouds of orbiting dust.
KIC 8462852, also known as Tabby's Star, experienced highly unusual and severe dips in brightness that occurred irregularly (aperiodically) and were too deep to be explained by normal planetary transits. Scientists determined that the most plausible explanation for this profound dimming involved large structures, or, more likely, extensive, orbiting masses of dust that periodically moved in front of the star's visible surface. This is distinct from regular eclipsing binaries because the events lacked a set orbital period, suggesting a less organized, cloud-like structure causing the obscuration.
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