Mysterious Dimming of Tabby’s Star May be Caused by Dust

AMES, Iowa – Massimo Marengo’s work in stellar astrophysics keeps returning to the mysterious dimming of Tabby’s star some 1,000 light years from Earth. Marengo, an Iowa State University associate professor of physics and astronomy, admits there are other projects on his research agenda, including infrared observations of older, giant stars and young planetary systems.

Astronomers Confirm Nearby Star a Good Model of Our Early Solar System

AMES, Iowa – NASA’s SOFIA aircraft, a 747 loaded with a 2.5-meter telescope in the back and stripped of most creature comforts in the front, took a big U-turn over the Pacific west of Mexico.

Strange Star Likely Swarmed by Comets

A star called KIC 8462852 has been in the news recently for unexplained and bizarre behavior. NASA's Kepler mission had monitored the star for four years, observing two unusual incidents, in 2011 and 2013, when the star's light dimmed in dramatic, never-before-seen ways. Something had passed in front of the star and blocked its light, but what?