Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Andrew Siemion, Dr. David Livingston.  Topics:  Tabby's Star: What is it?;  You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We do not permit the commercial use of any Space Show program or part thereof, nor do we permit Space Show programs to be edited, placed on YouTube, or other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted in news articles, papers, academic & research work but must be cited or referenced in the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies which we do enforce.  This program is archived on The Space Show website, podcasting, and blog sites with permission from John Batchelor. Please visit the John Batchelor Show website for more information about this fine program, www.johnbatchelorshow.com.  Remember, your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.  Please note that audio and transition issues are a result of copying the John Batchelor broadcast & are not within my control as they originate in the Batchelor studio.

John Batchelor and I welcomed Dr. Andrew Siemion of Berkeley SETI (www.seti.berkeley.edu) to discuss the mystery surrounding Tabby's Star (KIC 8462852).  Tabby's Star has periods of severe dimming by as much as 22% and for now this has astronomers baffled.  Even very large alien construction projects have been suggested as a cause for this dipping of the star's brightness.  Dr. Siemion is one of the scientists exploring the strange behavior of Tabby's Star which we discussed in some detail in our Hotel Mars double segment program.  We looked at possible causes, ruled out some suggestions, and put forth the best guess idea(s) for the explanation of this change in brightness by as much as what is being reported with this unique star.  In addition to our Hotel Mars discussion, I suggest the following news articles:  www.astronomy.com/news/2016/10/seti-tunes-into-tabbys-star-with-radio-telescopes; www.popsci.com/could-black-hole-be-blocking-light-from-that-alien-megastructure-star; and http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/30990/20161102/china-super-telescope-fast-joins-hunt-aliens-tabby-star.htm. 

You can email Mr. Batchelor or Dr. Andrew Siemion  through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.