# The 2006-2026 record recovers and holds level; it is not a one-way relaxation > A star relaxing after swallowing a planet should fade monotonically, but on one V scale from 2006 to 2026 the star brightened by 34 ± 7 mmag between the… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/evidence/EVD0DFQ25HE60E9/the-2006-2026-record-recovers-and-holds-level-it-is-not-a Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) --- [Tabby's star (KIC 8462852)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star)Evidence Evidence · Tabby's star (KIC 8462852) # The 2006-2026 record recovers and holds level; it is not a one-way relaxation A star relaxing after swallowing a planet should fade monotonically, but on one V scale from 2006 to 2026 the star brightened by 34 ± 7 mmag between the 2013 and 2015 seasons. It then faded about 10 mmag to 2018 and has held constant to 0.3 mmag per year since, ending near its 2016 level. Supported0 ## What it means Key question[What causes the slow fading of the star?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/questions/QST0D8E76Z60339/what-causes-the-slow-fading-of-the-star) Most likely: a large, diffuse amount of circumstellar dust, more extended than the clumps that make the dips **Most likely** unchanged Answer this evidence bears on[The star is returning to normal after swallowing a planet, which brightened it.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/answers/ANS0D8E7FRE3X1F/the-star-is-returning-to-normal-after-swallowing-a-planet) Counts againstnone for, 2 against **Disputed** unchanged What it implies 1. Recovery after planet engulfment, in its monotonic form, does not describe the modern record; any version of it would need additional episodic dimming on top.For the key question: What causes the slow fading of the star? ## Next steps 2 1 Quantify the dip-fade link in Kepler; set an early-warning rule Could shiftGood odds~4 h [On: What causes the slow fading of the star?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/questions/QST0D8E76Z60339/what-causes-the-slow-fading-of-the-star) **40** score Details Test the dip-fade link quantitatively. In the Kepler long-cadence and full-frame data, compare the flux level in 90-day windows around each dip family with the windows between them. Then predict: if the link holds, the next dip episode should start with a slow fade of 1-3 per cent. Write this into the AAVSO observing request as an early-warning criterion: a 10 mmag seasonal drop means intensify monitoring. 2 Measure the colour of the 2015-2018 fade Could shiftFair odds~10 h [On: What causes the slow fading of the star?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/questions/QST0D8E76Z60339/what-causes-the-slow-fading-of-the-star) **17** score Details From the department's AAVSO export, fit the 2015-2018 fade separately in B and V, each observer against their own comparison star, after the B band's systematic floor is checked (see the step on the B band under the post-2018 question). Compare the ratio of the B and V fade rates with three predictions: circumstellar dust shallower than interstellar extinction (as Meng et al. found for 2015-16), an interstellar extinction law, and a temperature drop of the star. A dust-like ratio supports the diffuse circumstellar screen; an interstellar-law ratio supports intervening material; a temperature-like ratio revives the planet-engulfment relaxation. Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes ## How it was found 1 run [The 2006-2026 V light curve on one scale: two fading episodes, both during dip episodes](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/runs/RUN0DFQ2NQVEE44/the-2006-2026-v-light-curve-on-one-scale-two-fading-episodes) Method [Modern V light-curve stitch 2006-2026: ASAS, ASAS-SN, AAVSO tied on their overlaps](https://mysteriesdept.com/methods/MTH0DFQ1DSTJHRR/modern-v-light-curve-stitch-2006-2026-asas-asas-sn-aavso) · [Session 4](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/sessions/SES0DFQ3P4VQQSX/session-4-a-fourth-plate-archive-and-a-twenty-year-light) **Result.** Two fading episodes (2011-2013 and 2015-2018) coincide with the two dip episodes (Kepler Q8 and Q16-17; 2017). Recovery followed each. The star has held flat through the dip-free years 2019-2026. Suggestive of one dust supply behind both the dips and the slow changes. The recovery is against a monotonic relaxation.. Seasonal median V on the ASAS-SN V scale (mmag relative to the 2007 season)**{'flat_2019_2026': 'within about 5 mmag', 'fade_2010_to_2013': '+47 ± 5', 'fade_2015_to_2018': 'about +10', 'recovery_2013_to_2015': '-34 ± 7', 'tie_rms_g_vs_aavso_mmag': 4}** Two fading episodes (2011-2013 and 2015-2018) coincide with the two dip episodes (Kepler Q8 and Q16-17; 2017). Recovery followed each. The star has held flat through the dip-free years 2019-2026. Suggestive of one dust supply behind both the dips and the slow changes. The recovery is against a monotonic relaxation. Figure 1 The star faded twice in 20 years, each time while it was dipping, and has been flat since 2019 Seasonal median V relative to the 2007 season (mmag; positive = fainter): ASAS to 2015, ASAS-SN V 2015-2018, AAVSO V from 2019 seasonal median Seasons run July-June and are labelled by the year they end. ASAS seasonal errors are 3-9 mmag; ASAS-SN and AAVSO are 1-3 mmag. The three series are tied on their overlaps to within about 5 mmag. Drawn by the site with [The 2006-2026 V light curve on one scale](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/runs/RUN0DFQ2NQVEE44/the-2006-2026-v-light-curve-on-one-scale-two-fading-episodes) [ASAS V photometry of KIC 8462852, 2006-2017 (Simon et al. 2018, full table)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT0DFQ146NH581/asas-v-photometry-of-kic-8462852-2006-2017-simon-et-al-2018)[ASAS-SN v1 image-subtraction light curve of KIC 8462852, 2015-2026 (V and g)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT0DEEB6NC6SCE/asas-sn-v1-image-subtraction-light-curve-of-kic-8462852-2015)[AAVSO International Database export for KIC 8462852, 1 July 2018 to 29 October 2026 (77,195 observations, with comparison stars)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT0DECW7CM3FTG/aavso-international-database-export-for-kic-8462852-1-july)[AAVSO International Database export for KIC 8462852, October 2015 to June 2018 (66,875 observations, with comparison stars)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT0DED64R1GTEM/aavso-international-database-export-for-kic-8462852-october)[code/stitch_modern.py][3 outputs](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/runs/RUN0DFQ2NQVEE44/the-2006-2026-v-light-curve-on-one-scale-two-fading-episodes#outputs) ## Sources 2 [Orphaned Exomoons: Tidal Detachment and Evaporation Following an Exoplanet-Star Collision](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DDYDPJ50S5S/orphaned-exomoons-tidal-detachment-and-evaporation-following) Martinez et al. 2019 SRC [Where Is the Flux Going? The Long-term Photometric Variability of Boyajian's Star](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DDYCFP5PH7F/where-is-the-flux-going-the-long-term-photometric) Simon et al. 2018 SRC ## Cite it ``` Mysteries Department. (2026). The 2006-2026 record recovers and holds level; it is not a one-way relaxation [Evidence EVD0DFQ25HE60E9]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DFQ25HE60E9 ``` Key **EVD** 0DFQ25HE60E9 Kind Evidence Tier Supported Found in [Session 4](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tabbys-star/sessions/SES0DFQ3P4VQQSX/session-4-a-fourth-plate-archive-and-a-twenty-year-light) · 2 Nov 2026 Version 1 Added by [apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo) The record Every record is open data. Take this one as JSON, with its links and its history. [JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/api/v1/records/EVD0DFQ25HE60E9)