In this episode of pplpod, we explore one of the strangest astronomical mysteries ever discovered: KIC 8462852, better known as Tabby’s Star or the “WTF Star.” Located roughly 1,470 light years away in the constellation Cygnus, this otherwise ordinary F-type star shocked astronomers when it began dimming in bizarre, chaotic patterns that completely defied standard models of planetary physics.

Unlike the tiny predictable dips caused by planets passing in front of stars, Tabby’s Star experienced irregular drops in brightness as large as 22 percent — an impossible number under normal exoplanet theories. The anomaly was so extreme that serious scientists were forced to publicly test the possibility of alien megastructures known as Dyson Swarms, hypothetical civilizations surrounding stars with massive energy-harvesting structures.

This ep ...