Space News: 'Very Strange Object' in Outer Space Could Be a Sign of Alien Life

By Marvie Basilan, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, October 17, 2015

Users from the online astronomy interface Planet Hunters have come across a star called KIC 8462852 with a significantly different flickering pattern, the star's activities possibly suggesting life beyond humans on Earth.

Since info gathered by the group are data released by NASA's Kepler Telescope for public use, some astronomers find the discovery a potential path toward proving that there is indeed alien life outside man's planet.

One of the astronomers who took notice of the anomaly that a number of users claimed to be a sign of alien life is Yale postdoctoral astronomy expert Tabetha Boyajian. According to CNN, she noted that the group's advisory science team, including herself, went through the discussions on the live boards to make sure there is something to find interest in before they supported the cause.

"What was unusual about that was the depth of the light dips, up to 20% decrease in light, and the timescales [vary from] a week to a couple of months," she said. Although the anomaly became a hot topic for many top astronomers, Boyajian admitted that there is a need for further studies to "help interpret the system."

Boyajian and her team then took their study to head of the University of California's SETI Group, Andrew Siemion, to help them determine whether the peculiar flickering of the star came from a group of comets or an intergalactic phenomenon that scientists have not stumbled upon yet.

Siemion called the anomaly "very atypical," adding that he was particularly drawn to the study after he found out that the discovery was from NASA's Kepler team data. "It is a very strange object," he said of the star now famously called "Tabby's star."

In a bid to further advance research for the said discovery, Siemion submitted requests to make use of telescopes. The Northern California-based SETI Institute is expecting to get answers to its proposals in the next two months.

Meanwhile, Jason Wright, an astronomy professor in Penn State said he couldn't explain the discovery and warned against jumping to conclusions. He said, "My philosophy of SETI is that you should reserve your alien hypothesis as a last resort."

On the other hand, Boyajian clarified that their request for additional research to be done on the initial study will either confirm or rule out their claims.