(May 22, 2017 at 7:59 am)Anomalocaris Wrote:(May 22, 2017 at 7:15 am)Gawdzilla Sama Wrote: No other star so far observed.
The rarity can be accounted for if the process which causes the irregular dimming lasts only a short time in the life of any star that undogoes a similar process.
The distinegrating planet hypothesis I advanced accounts for the rarity because if the planetary disintegration process periodically creates dust/vapors outburst large enough to obscure sizable portion of the star's disk, then the mass loss from the planet must be rapid and the planet would be consumed in relatively short time.
If it takes a thousand years to consume the planet, and the typical star that ever had a large planet distingrate near the Roche limit lives for 10 billion years, then only 1 in 5 million stars which has ever had this process would be undergoing this process when we happen to be looking at it.
Yes, for "any star that undogoes a similar process."
But how many stars do that? Important question. If many, then this is just an event like many others. If none, then we have an interesting event going on. But even then we don't know if it's natural or artificial.