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EPIC 204376071 is an M-type star in the 
Unusual light fluctuations of the star, including up to an 80% dimming in brightness (i.e., "single 80% deep 
EPIC Catalog at MAST
* , up to 80% dimming. {{Sky, 16, 04, 10.1267, -, 22, 34, 45.5503, 440 xx 2019 in science Scorpius–Centaurus association Unsolved problems in astronomy Scorpius
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The first constellati ...
of Scorpius
Scorpius is a zodiac constellation located in the Southern celestial hemisphere, where it sits near the center of the Milky Way, between Libra to the west and Sagittarius to the east. Scorpius is an ancient constellation whose recognition pred ...
. Parallax measurements by the ''Gaia
In Greek mythology, Gaia (; , a poetic form of ('), meaning 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea (), is the personification of Earth. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenogenic—of all life. She is the mother of Uranus (S ...
'' space observatory put the star at a distance of about from Earth. It is likely a member of the Upper Sco association, and is young enough that it has not yet become a main-sequence star
In astronomy, the main sequence is a classification of stars which appear on plots of stellar color versus brightness as a continuous and distinctive band. Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars or dwarf stars, and positions of star ...
.
Unusual light fluctuations of the star, including up to an 80% dimming in brightness (i.e., "single 80% deep occultation
An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks f ...
of 1-day duration"), were observed by astronomers. The unusual dimming was not only extremely deep, but also substantially asymmetric, with an egress about twice as long as the ingress. Nonetheless, such an unusual dimming for EPIC 204376071 is much greater than the 22% dimming observed for Tabby's star
Tabby's Star (designated as KIC 8462852 in the Kepler Input Catalog and also known by the names Boyajian's Star and WTF (Where'sTheFlux?) Star, is a binary star in the constellation Cygnus approximately from Earth. The system is compo ...
. Several explanations have been presented to explain the unusual dimming of the EPIC 204376071 star: one, orbiting dust or small particles; or two, a "transient accretion event of dusty material near the corotation radius of the star". The unusual light curve
In astronomy, a light curve is a graph (discrete mathematics), graph of the Radiance, light intensity of a celestial object or region as a function of time, typically with the magnitude (astronomy), magnitude of light received on the ''y''-axis ...
of the star is similar to the light curve of a candidate exoplanet
An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first confirmed detection of an exoplanet was in 1992 around a pulsar, and the first detection around a main-sequence star was in 1995. A different planet, first det ...
, KIC 10403228 b, which may have been caused by a "tilted ring system" orbiting the planet. In the case of EPIC 204376071, an orbiting brown dwarf or large planet, with a ring system, could cause a similar light curve, according to the researchers.
See also
*Disrupted planet
In astronomy, a disrupted planet is a planet or exoplanet or, perhaps on a somewhat smaller scale, a planetary-mass object, planetesimal, moon, exomoon or asteroid that has been disrupted or destroyed by a nearby or passing astronomical body or ...
* List of stars that have unusual dimming periods
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
References
External links
EPIC Catalog at MAST
* , up to 80% dimming. {{Sky, 16, 04, 10.1267, -, 22, 34, 45.5503, 440 xx 2019 in science Scorpius–Centaurus association Unsolved problems in astronomy Scorpius