What is the purpose of NASA's Kepler mission?

To find planets outside our solar system.

What is the significance of the citizen science project Planet Hunters?

To analyze Kepler data for missed signals.

Unusual light curve patterns with significant drops.

Ranged from young star clouds to interplanetary space battles.

To uncover more about the star's behavior.

Ordinary individuals through the Planet Hunters project made significant discoveries in astronomy, including finding planets and a peculiar star with unique light patterns.
The search for explanations regarding the unusual behavior of the star KIC 8462852 led to diverse theories, with the most plausible being a swarm of comets causing the observed light variations, highlighting the importance of exploring natural phenomena before resorting to alien hypotheses.

What is the purpose of NASA's Kepler mission?
To find planets outside our solar system.
What is the significance of the citizen science project Planet Hunters?
To analyze Kepler data for missed signals.
What did citizen scientists discover about the star KIC 8462852?
Unusual light curve patterns with significant drops.
What are some of the theories proposed to explain the mysterious star KIC 8462852?
Ranged from young star clouds to interplanetary space battles.
Why are ongoing observations by amateur astronomers crucial for understanding the star KIC 8462852?
To uncover more about the star's behavior.

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Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence in astronomy, with alien hypotheses being a last resort.
The story involves data from NASA's Kepler mission, ordinary people, and a unique star in our galaxy.
NASA's Kepler mission, launched in 2009, aimed to find planets outside our solar system by monitoring over 150,000 stars' brightness continuously for four years.
Astronomers searched for transits, where a planet crosses in front of a star, causing a dip in starlight brightness.
Yale astronomers launched the citizen science project Planet Hunters to have people analyze the Kepler data for missed signals.
Citizen scientists discovered dozens of planets and a mysterious star, KIC 8462852, with unusual light curve patterns.
The star's light exhibited significant drops, lasting up to a week, with complex and variable shapes and durations, indicating massive objects blocking its light.
Theories ranged from young star clouds to interplanetary space battles, with the most plausible being a swarm of thousands of comets passing by the star.
Despite considering alien megastructures like Dyson spheres, the natural explanation is favored, with ongoing observations by amateur astronomers to uncover more about the star.