编辑“︁KIC 8462852”︁（章节）

==假說==
根據該星的[[恆星光譜]]可知，該星的亮度變化不可能是它本身的變化，即此星並非[[變星]]。<ref name="arXiv:1509.03622" />因此，科學家提出了數個假說，假設有某些物體在環繞該星並阻擋它的光，但是尚沒有一個假說可以完整解釋觀察到的資料。

某些假說認為這和資料{{link-en|偽缺陷|Artifact (error)}}有關，有些認為是[[宇宙塵]]，有極大環形結構的氣體行星<ref name="AT-20151016" /><ref name="FRB-20151016">{{cite news |url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/ethansiegel/2015/10/16/bizarre-star-kic-8462852-an-alien-paradise-or-a-catastrophic-wasteland/ |title=No, Astronomers Probably Haven't Found 'Alien Megastructures' |work=[[Forbes]] |last=Siegel |first=Ethan |date=2015-10-16 |accessdate=2015-10-17 |archive-date=2017-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812104447/https://www.forbes.com/sites/ethansiegel/2015/10/16/bizarre-star-kic-8462852-an-alien-paradise-or-a-catastrophic-wasteland/ |dead-url=no }}</ref>近期捕捉到的[[小行星帶]]、<ref name="arXiv:1509.03622" />、進行中的[[後期重轟炸期]]等。<ref name="NASA-20151124"/><ref name="Lisse2015">{{cite journal |title=IRTF/SPeX Observations of the Unusual Kepler Light Curve System KIC8462852 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal Letters |first1=Carey |last1=Lisse |first2=Michael |last2=Sitko |first3=Massimo |last3=Marengo |volume=815 |issue=2 |at=L27 |date=December 2015 |doi=10.1088/2041-8205/815/2/L27 |bibcode=2015ApJ...815L..27L |arxiv=1512.00121}}</ref>

===被成形中的物質環繞的恆星===
[[File:Artist’s Impression of a Baby Star Still Surrounded by a Protoplanetary Disc.jpg|thumb|藝術家筆下，被成行中的物質環繞的年輕恆星。]]
Boyajian諮詢了天文學家傑森·萊特（Jason Wright），<ref name="UT-20151016" /><ref name="Laker">{{cite news |url=http://home.bt.com/news/science-news/alien-megastructure-may-explain-light-patterns-from-bizarre-star-say-scientists-11364010755958 |script-title=en:‘Alien megastructure’ may explain light patterns from ‘bizarre’ star, say scientists |work=BT.com |first=Chris |last=Laker |date=2015-10-16 |accessdate=2015-10-17 |archive-date=2017-07-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729215247/http://home.bt.com/news/science-news/alien-megastructure-may-explain-light-patterns-from-bizarre-star-say-scientists-11364010755958 |dead-url=no }}</ref>他和其他研究KIC 8462852的人在一篇後續的研究報告中提出，如果該星比其位置和速度透露的年紀還年輕，那麼它可能還有物質在周遭成形。<ref name="PSU-20151015" />

{{link-en|NASA紅外線望遠鏡設施|NASA Infrared Telescope Facility}}（NASA IRTF）在0.8–4.2[[微米]]光譜下對該恆星系的觀察，在數個[[天文單位]]的距離內沒有發現任何成形中物質的跡象。<ref name="NASA-20151124"/><ref name="Lisse2015"/>

===行星殘骸場===
[[File:PIA18469-AsteroidCollision-NearStarNGC2547-ID8-2013.jpg|thumb|left|藝術家想像中，原行星的碰撞。]]
目前已經對該星進行了高解析度的[[光譜學|光譜儀]]和影像觀察，也透過西班牙的[[北歐光學望遠鏡]]進行了[[光譜能量分布]]分析。<ref name="arXiv:1509.03622"/><ref name="AT-20151016">{{cite web |last=Rzetelny |first=Xaq |script-title=en:Something—we’re not sure what—is radically dimming a star’s light No satisfying explanations, but guesses range from comets to colliding planets. |url=http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/10/something-were-not-sure-what-is-radically-dimming-a-stars-light |date=2015-10-16 |work=[[Ars Technica]] |accessdate=2015-10-17 |archive-date=2015-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018155448/http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/10/something-were-not-sure-what-is-radically-dimming-a-stars-light/ |dead-url=no }}</ref>如果這些環繞恆星的物體之間發生碰撞，那麼應該會產生溫暖的塵埃，並發出[[紅外線]]光，但是目前並沒有觀察到任何超量的紅外線能量，因此這些物體不可能是巨大行星之間碰撞產生的殘骸。<ref name="SLT-20151015"/>其他研究者認為行星殘骸場的解釋是行不通的，因為克卜勒望遠鏡觀察到這個現象的機會非常低。<ref name="arXiv:1509.03622" />

===分解的彗星群產生的雲氣===
[[File:PIA20053-PossibleCometSwarmAroundKIC8462852-ArtistConcept-20151124.jpg|thumb|藝術家筆下一群環繞恆星的彗星碎片。]]
其中一個解釋該星奇異的亮度變化的假說是，有一群崩解的[[彗星]]雲氣以橢圓形軌道環繞該星。<ref name="arXiv:1509.03622" /><ref name="PS-20151013">{{cite news |url=http://www.popsci.com/have-we-detected-alien-megastructures-around-distant-star |title=Have We Detected Megastructures Built By Aliens Around A Distant Star? Or Just A Cloud Of Comets? Scientists Want To Investigate Further |work=[[Popular Science]] |last=Fecht |first=Sarah |date=2015-10-13 |accessdate=2015-10-14 |archive-date=2017-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601033925/http://www.popsci.com/have-we-detected-alien-megastructures-around-distant-star |dead-url=no }}</ref>在這個假設情境下，來自周遭恆星的重力可能造成該星的[[歐特雲]]裡的彗星朝該星墜落。支持這個假說的證據是，距離該星{{convert|885|AU|e9km|0|order=flip|sp=us|lk=out}}確實有一顆[[紅矮星]]存在。但是，來自歐特雲的彗星雲氣被重力擾動後，以橢圓形軌道近距離繞行恆星，並且有足夠的數量造成該星22%的亮度下降，這個想法是受到質疑的。<ref name="SLT-20151015" />

===人工巨型結構===
[[File:Dyson Swarm - 2.png|thumb|left|戴森雲的想像圖]]
傑森·萊特和其他研究者假設這些物體可能是[[外星人|外星文明]]建造的[[巨型結構]]，好比說[[戴森球#戴森云|戴森雲]]，<ref name="PSU-20151015"/><ref name="ATL-20151013"/><ref name="PS-20151013" /><ref name="arXiv:1510.04606" /><ref name="ASTRON-20150915">{{cite press release |url=https://www.astron.nl/about-astron/press-public/news/werp/good-night-sleep-tight-advanced-alien-civilisations-rare-or-abse |title=Good night, sleep tight: Advanced alien civilisations rare or absent in the local Universe |publisher=[[ASTRON]] |date=2015-09-15 |accessdate=2015-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019112402/http://www.astron.nl/about-astron/press-public/news/werp/good-night-sleep-tight-advanced-alien-civilisations-rare-or-abse |archive-date=2015-10-19 |dead-url=yes }}</ref><ref name="IND-20151015">{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/forget-water-on-mars-astronomers-may-have-just-found-giant-alien-megastructures-orbiting-a-star-near-a6693886.html |title=Astronomers may have found giant alien 'megastructures' orbiting star near the Milky Way |work=[[The Independent]] |last=Williams |first=Lee |date=2015-10-15 |accessdate=2015-10-15 |archive-date=2015-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223003949/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/forget-water-on-mars-astronomers-may-have-just-found-giant-alien-megastructures-orbiting-a-star-near-a6693886.html |dead-url=no }}</ref>這是一種假想的結構，先進的文明可能會在恆星四周建設這種結構體，用以將恆星發出的光轉換成能量使用。<ref name="JonesM2015">{{cite journal |title=Reconsidering macro-artefacts in SETI searches |journal={{tsl|en|Acta Astronautica|}} |last=Jones |first=Morris |volume=116 |pages=161–165 |date=November–December 2015 |doi=10.1016/j.actaastro.2015.07.011}}</ref><ref name="DC-20151014">{{cite web |last=O'Neill |first=Ian |title=Has Kepler Discovered an Alien Megastructure? |url=http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/has-kepler-discovered-an-alien-megastructure-151014.htm |date=2015-10-14 |work=[[探索傳播]] |accessdate=2015-10-17 |archive-date=2016-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511124127/http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/has-kepler-discovered-an-alien-megastructure-151014.htm |dead-url=no }}</ref><ref name="SR-20150929">{{cite web |last=Siemion |first=Andrew |authorlink=安德魯·帕特里克·樊尚·謝苗 |title=Prepared Statement by Andrew Siemion - Hearing on Astrobiology Status Report - House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology |url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=47887 |date=2015-09-29 |work=SpaceRef.com |accessdate=2015-10-19 |archive-date=2015-10-23 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20151023214612/http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=47887 |dead-url=yes }}</ref>

=== 後續研究 ===
在2015年10月，[[SETI協會]]宣佈他們已經開始用[[艾倫望遠鏡陣]]觀察這顆恆星四周可能由智慧外星生物發出的[[無線電頻率|無線電傳輸]]。<ref name"SP-20151019-mw">{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Mike |title=Search For Intelligent Aliens Near Bizarre Dimming Star Has Begun |url=http://www.space.com/30855-alien-life-search-kepler-megastructure.html |date=2015-10-19 |work={{tsl|en|Space.com|}} |accessdate=2015-10-20 |archive-date=2020-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405094628/https://www.space.com/30855-alien-life-search-kepler-megastructure.html |dead-url=no }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/search-for-aliens-at-kic-8462852-2015-10|title=Search for aliens at KIC 8462852|author=|date=2015-10-23|work=Business Insider|accessdate=2015-10-26|archive-date=2019-10-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009124116/https://www.businessinsider.com/search-for-aliens-at-kic-8462852-2015-10|dead-url=no}}</ref>其他天文學家也提議進一步的觀察，可能使用地面上的{{link-en|綠岸天文望遠鏡|Green Bank Telescope}}、[[甚大天線陣]]、<ref name="AT-20151016"/><ref name="CNET-20151017">{{cite news |last=Mack |first=Eric |title=The story behind 'alien megastructures' scientists may have found (but probably didn't) |url=http://www.cnet.com/news/the-full-story-behind-the-alien-megastructures-scientists-may-have-found-but-probably-didnt/ |date=2015-10-17 |work=[[CNET]] |accessdate=2015-10-19 |archive-date=2020-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225065058/https://www.cnet.com/news/the-full-story-behind-the-alien-megastructures-scientists-may-have-found-but-probably-didnt/ |dead-url=no }}</ref>以及未來專門搜尋[[系外行星學|系外行星]]的軌道望遠鏡，例如{{link-en|寬視野紅外線巡天望遠鏡|Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope}}、{{link-en|系外行星掩星任務衛星|Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite}}、以及{{link-en|行星掩星與星震探測衛星|PLATO (spacecraft)}}。<ref name="arXiv:1510.04606"/><ref name="SR-20150929" />