The dimming of KIC 8462852 is
significant for two reasons. First, other stars have seen drops in
light emittance by 1 or 2 percent at most. However, KIC 8462852 has
dimmed by up to 20 percent. Secondly, unlike a planet obscuring light
from a star at regular intervals because of its orbit, the dimmings
occurred randomly during the 1600 days Kepler monitored the star.
Near the 800th day of monitoring, the star's light dropped
by 15 percent, but near the 1500th day, there was an odd
disturbance that caused a drop of 20 percent of the emitted light. A
drop that significant would mean the object passing in front of the
star would have to be almost half the star's diameter! Considering
that KIC 8462852 is 1.5 times larger than our own sun, and that the
largest planet in our solar system (Jupiter) is only 1/10th
the size of our sun, can you imagine how huge the planet would have
to be? Astronomers are concluding that the object could not be a
planet.
As seven alien races struggle to co-exist in an uneasy alliance, the Inter-Stellar Union sends Union Guard agents on missions to preserve the crucial balance. These specialized operatives must do what regional security cannot, dealing with smugglers, pirates, terrorists, and even greater challenges in order to bring stability to a universe that needs it desperately. Without the Union Guard, the races will not be prepared to face a looming alien threat they can only hope to defeat together.
No comments:
Post a Comment