KIC 8462852: Will the Trojans return in 2021?
Ballesteros, Fernando J.; Arnalte-Mur, Pablo; Fernandez-Soto, Alberto; Martinez, Vicent J.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
2018
VL / 473 - BP / L21 - EP / L25
abstract
KIC 8462852 stood out among more than 100 000 stars in the Kepler catalogue because of the strange features of its light curve: a wide, asymmetric dimming taking up to 15 per cent of the light at D793 and a period of multiple, narrow dimmings happening approximately 700 d later. Several models have been proposed to account for this abnormal behaviour, most of which require either unlikely causes or a finely tuned timing. We aim at offering a relatively natural solution, invoking only phenomena that have been previously observed, although perhaps in larger or more massive versions. We model the system using a large, ringed body whose transit produces the first dimming and a swarm of Trojan objects sharing its orbit that causes the second period of multiple dimmings. The resulting orbital period is T approximate to 12 yr, with a semi-major axis a approximate to 6 au. Our model allows us to make two straightforward predictions: we expect the passage of a new swarm of Trojans in front of the star starting during the early months of 2021, and a new transit of the main object during the first half of 2023.
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