Afternoon Astronomy Coffee Hangout on 12 January

"Comet Swarms or an Alien Megastructures? What Causes the Strange Variations of the Kepler Mission Star KIC 8462852"
Afternoon Astronomy Coffee Hangout

A star with unusual changes in brightness was discovered by the Planet Hunters citizen science project using data from the Kepler space telescope. This star is called KIC 8462852 or "Tabby’s star" and has strange irregular dips in brightness and also seems to be getting fainter over the last four years. The object is slightly brighter than the Sun and is more than 1,400 light years away. The variations and dimming are hard to explain. One idea is that a swarm of comets has been disrupted near KIC 8462852 causing variable eclipses of the star. Other explanations have been proposed including the presence of a massive astro engineering project or megastructure constructed by aliens. Besides numerous follow up studies using a variety of telescopes, the scientists at the SETI Institute were very interested in investigating the latter idea and studied the star using the Allen Telescope Array for radio frequencies and several other facilities for optical observations.

What is the cause of KIC 8462852’s strange behavior? Join us on Thursday, 12 January, at 3:00 pm ET as we chat with Jay Reynolds, Seth Shostak, Gerry Harp, and if we're lucky, Jill Tarter, all from the SETI Institute. to find out. The best place to hangout with us will be on YouTube, broadcast on the Deep Astronomy Channel. You can also take part in the live chat, RSVP on the Facebook event page, and join the conversation on Twitter with #AstroCoffee. Archives of previous hangouts in this series may be found in a Deep Astronomy YouTube playlist.

What Are Afternoon Astronomy Coffee and Future in Space Hangouts?

Future In Space” and "Afternoon Astronomy Coffee" Hangouts are part of a weekly series, held every Thursday, that also includes a segment on Footsteps to Mars. We bring the the latest research in astronomy, highlights from the future of space astronomy and astronautics planning, as well as updates on the exploration of Mars to you every week via Hangouts on Air. With the cooperation of both the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Astronautical Society (the other AAS), our hosts Tony Darnell, Carol Christian, Alberto Conti, and Harley Thronson bring you topics that examine today's breakthroughs in research and look forward to peer into the unfolding possibilities of what we may learn about the universe and Mars exploration. We join with members of the American Astronomical Society to chat, in an informal online setting modeled after "science coffee" events held in universities and research organizations across the country. We will examine what we hope to learn about exoplanets, black holes, the early universe, quasars, and life in the universe along with what technologies might help us — and reflect upon the scientific endeavors occurring today that uncover amazing astrophysics and lay the groundwork for studies to come.

We will also explore the technology and engineering used today as well as possibilities for future space travel and research with members of both Societies, and probe what our future in space may look like and how we might get there. We will examine the underlying technologies of space telescopes, orbiters, landers, and human space vehicles now and in the years to come. We will delve into topics that help us understand the possibilities and limitations of human space flight and eventual human colonization of other worlds.

We hope you can join us each month as we bring experts from both Societies — people who think about and plan for our future in space — to your computer, tablet, or smartphone. We invite you to bring your questions and comments and get ready to learn about the amazing possibilities for the future of space astronomy and exploration.