The degree to which these objects block the light and the non regular timing is astonishing. Large gas planets might cause a 2% dip in the light curve on a perfectly regular basis. We're seeing a 10-20% dip that isn't perfectly regular.
This latest paper established three distinct modes of occlusion. You have the giant dips that last a few days, we're also seeing small dips that last a year or so, and finally there is the slight long-term fading on the order of centuries.
No typical astronomical phenomenon we've put to the test fit these data. The more we've looked at it, the more theories we've ruled out and the more fascinating this has become.
The degree to which these objects block the light and the non regular timing is astonishing. Large gas planets might cause a 2% dip in the light curve on a perfectly regular basis. We're seeing a 10-20% dip that isn't perfectly regular.
This latest paper established three distinct modes of occlusion. You have the giant dips that last a few days, we're also seeing small dips that last a year or so, and finally there is the slight long-term fading on the order of centuries.
No typical astronomical phenomenon we've put to the test fit these data. The more we've looked at it, the more theories we've ruled out and the more fascinating this has become.