QuestionsTabby's star (KIC 8462852)If the dips are dust, what produces it in large, short-lived clumps?Answer
Answer · Tabby's star (KIC 8462852)
The fragments of a broken-up comet or planetesimal on an eccentric orbit, passing in front of the star in…
The fragments of a broken-up comet or planetesimal on an eccentric orbit, passing in front of the star in swarms.
Where it stands
Most likelyIts tests partly supported it: one piece of evidence for, two against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Dust accompanied by cometary gas such as water, carbon monoxide or hydroxyl.
- Dips cluster in time as the swarm passes and may recur on the orbital period.
What would rule it out
- Spectra during a deep dip showing no cometary gas at levels a comet swarm of the required mass must produce.
Evidence 1 for · 2 against
FOR
The questions it answers
Most likelyThe fragments of a broken-up comet or planetesimal on an eccentric orbit, passing in front of the star in…
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). The fragments of a broken-up comet or planetesimal on an eccentric orbit, passing in front of the star in… [Answer ANS0D8E7C3815EN]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D8E7C3815EN
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0d8e7c3815en,
title = {The fragments of a broken-up comet or planetesimal on an eccentric orbit, passing in front of the star in…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0D8E7C3815EN},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D8E7C3815EN}
}