Very large disk blocking view of a star.

There's A "Dark Disk of Material" Hovering out in space.

A very large object is blocking the view of Epsilon Aurigae. It is a star in the constellation Auriga. What this object is, is unknown. Astronomers say that if you've got a telescope, you could help them figure it out.

Robert Stencel, a professor of astronomy at Denver University and longtime studier of Epsilon Aurigae, described the mystery object as "a dark disk of material" in a recent press release. "The exact shape and makeup of the disk has been unknown," said Stencel, "but it will be better defined soon."

Epsilon Aurigae is so bright that it can be seen from just about anywhere on Earth, so if you want, visit the Citizen Sky site and see whether it looks interesting.

Well, hell, I want a telescope now! A disk? Sounds awful fishy.. reminding me of UFOs. Space junk though? Who knows.

reply to post by TruthSeeker8300


hmm...even i'm having trouble with this one maybe if this thing is ufo related then this is the chip in the ice to disclose what the gov. has known for years! could be a thought!

reply to post by Tantalus


Well, at the source, it reads that this eclipse occurs every twenty-seven Earth years and lasts at least twenty Earth months. I'd be highly doubtful of the space junk idea, only because it is so immensely far away. if it is space-junk, it certainly isn't ours, both because of the distance, and because this has been happening, according to the source, for probably a much longer time than the earth itself has existed.

Also, I'd like to see if anyone else knows the credibility of the source. I'm not incredibly familiar with io9, but is it a reliable source for space-related information? The source hinted toward an alien-mothership idea which turned the legitimacy dial in my mind waaaaay down.

reply to post by TruthSeeker8300


My guess is its another moon or even a planet... 3 times the size of our sun it says so could well be a planet!!!

It's a long eclipse whatever the outcome....

Interesting so i give you a star & flag

My immediate thoughts upon viewing the dark disk of material is that perhaps its a shield of some type or some type of cloaking device for a large alien craft or large colony space station. Then after a harder look I thought that perhaps what we are seeing is a Intergalactic space jump point whereby an approaching big star craft galactic cruiser craft emitting the right frequency and power enters a worm hole or star gate portal to some other part of the universe.

If we were to wait for NASA to explain this mystery, we would die of old age before they ever told any of us anything truthful or of any actual scientific value. Every time I think of NASA I tell myself that it really must be hard for them to keep a straight face with some of the so called science they unload from time to time.

Any prolonged observation of this anomaly will probably further provide additional clues. Overall this is a good find.

the death star? star wars doesnt seem that funny now lol

Death Star?
Dark Matter?
Black Whole?
Stargate?
Space Junk?
UFO?
PLANET X!?!?!!?!?!?

im tired of guessing...

f it turns out that the object orbiting Epsilon Aurigae is an alien mothership of some kind, and you're the first to identify it as such, then there's a decent chance you could get the thing named after yourself.

I am so on top of this. I might finally clear my name!

IF it is a disk then its what we have all been waiting for, you know as well as I we are only a few years off contact. However, IMO though this looks like a planet.

10/10 op for finding this, it will be interesting to see if this is indeed real.

[edit on 21-1-2010 by franspeakfree]

I call hoax, it's only on that site and I've never heard of it. Doesn't seem legitimate enough.

reply to post by MaxBlack


Maybe it is a so called "Type 2 civilisation" ??

wikipedia:

* Type I — a civilization that is able to harness all of the power available on a single planet — has approximately 1016 or 1017 W available.[2] Earth specifically has an available power of 1.74 × 1017 W (174 petawatts, see Earth's energy budget). Kardashev's original definition was 4 × 1012 W — a "technological level close to the level presently attained on earth" ("presently" meaning 1964).[3]

* Type II — a civilization that is able to harness all of the power available from a single star, approximately 4 × 1026 W.[2] Again, this figure is variable; the Sun outputs approximately 3.86 × 1026 W. Kardashev's original definition was also 4 × 1026 W.[3]

* Type III — a civilization that is able to harness all of the power available from a single galaxy, approximately 4 × 1037 W.[2] This figure is extremely variable, since galaxies vary widely in size; the stated figure is the approximate power output of the Milky Way. Kardashev's original definition was also 4 × 1037 W.[3]

looks like a fake picture to me

Astronomy Magazine article on the same thing dated Aug 25th 2009.

It's been observed, on record, since 1821 and occurs roughly ever 27 years - so it seems to be a regular occurrence.

I think 'Sphere' might be a better description, along with huge gravitational force.

-m0r

I agree with those saying it is fake, it doesn't look too real. Although it is proven that it does become eclipsed by something every 27 years or so. Eclipsing component is "unknown". There are several theories that are proposed though also.

there is a worldwide study going on right now..

astronomers from all over are watching epsilon aurigea @ present.

Our observatory is participating, and its quite fun.

anyone else with a telescope... do join!

[edit on 21-1-2010 by Ahmose]

the most likly explaination = a cloud of interstellar dist or a asteroid belt orbiting the star . how people jump to " alien mothership " so readily really really baffles me

Topic already exists here

Please direct comments to the preceding thread.

closing