Astronomers may have found giant alien 'megastructures' orbiting star near the Milky

[radtech497]

What do you think it is?

I strongly suspect it is natural in origin; why build a titanic solar collector so far out? The inverse square law makes it far more efficient to put it close in.

KIC 8462852 is an F3V dwarf with a luminosity of 4.6471 times Sol. At a distance of 750 million kilometers, or 5.0134 AU, a Dyson swarm can collect up to 1.7796e+27 Watts (assuming 100% photovoltaic conversion efficiency). By itself, such a construct would rate a 2.125 on the Kardashev scale (as modified by Sagan). While even more power can be gleaned from a smaller-radius Dyson swarm, the liquid water "habitable zone" of 2.0554 AU to 2.9611 AU means that the builders (if they are carbon-based organisms using water as a biosolvent) would probably not want to build it much smaller. Besides, a Dyson swarm is a three-dimensional construct, and the approximately 2.0523 AU between the outer edge of the "habitable zone" and the 750 million kilometer radius of this object (if indeed it is artificial) is occupied by habitats or other infrastructure or is reserved for such use in the future.

In the event a natural explanation cannot be found, I suspect the matter will be put aside for as long as possible before tentatively suggesting it might be artificial. So, I will not be holding my breath on this one.

Radtech497