TED: The most mysterious star in the universe | Tabetha Boyajian

The video discusses the Kepler mission's goal to find exoplanets and the role of citizen scientists in discovering the mysterious star KIC 8462852. The star exhibited unusual light patterns, leading to various hypotheses, including alien megastructures. Despite weak natural explanations, the search continues with the help of citizen scientists and future missions.

What was the primary goal of NASA's Kepler mission?

• To find planets within our solar system

• To monitor the brightness of stars for transits

• To explore the surface of Mars

• To study the atmosphere of Jupiter

What unique ability does the human brain have that was utilized in the Planet Hunters project?

• Communicating with extraterrestrial life

• Predicting future events

• Advanced mathematical calculations

• Pattern recognition

What was unusual about the light patterns observed from the star KIC 8462852?

• The dips in brightness were much larger and lasted longer than expected

• The star's light increased instead of decreased

• The light patterns were perfectly symmetrical

• The star emitted a constant light with no dips

Which natural explanation was considered most consistent with the observations of KIC 8462852?

• A young star with surrounding material

• A planetary collision

• A swarm of comets in an elliptical orbit

• A black hole passing by

What was the title of the paper published about the findings on KIC 8462852?

• Alien Megastructures: A Possibility

• The Mystery of the Dimming Star

• The Comet Hypothesis

• Where's The Flux?

What hypothetical structure could an advanced civilization build to harness energy from a star?

• A wormhole generator

• A solar sail

• A space elevator

• A Dyson sphere

Why is the alien megastructure hypothesis considered unlikely?

• It requires technology beyond our understanding

• It would produce heat that we do not observe

• It defies the laws of physics

• It contradicts known astronomical data

What role did citizen scientists play in the study of KIC 8462852?

• They developed new telescopes

• They analyzed data and identified unusual patterns

• They provided theoretical explanations

• They funded the research

What is the significance of finding another star like KIC 8462852?

• It would confirm the existence of alien life

• It would suggest a common natural phenomenon

• It would prove the comet hypothesis

• It would indicate a flaw in Kepler's data

What is the potential impact of new missions observing millions of stars?

• They will confirm the existence of alien megastructures

• They will provide more data to understand unusual stars

• They will end the search for extraterrestrial life

• They will focus solely on our solar system