By Jamie SeidelSpeculation has swirled around KIC 8462852 (Othewise known as 'Tabby's Star') after an internet-based group of stargazers noticed its unusual behaviour in 2015. A follow-up study indicated it had been dimming steadily since the first photos of the star were taken in 1890. EPIC 204278916 also flickers oddlyTheir study, Secular dimming of KIC 8462852 following its consumption of a planet, was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomy Society. When applied to KIC 8462852, the after-effects of a consumed planet conformed with the star's observed behaviour. The calculations say a planet the mass of Jupiter, or a similar mass of moon-sized bodies, has been consumed.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 15, 2017 02:27 UTC