A Star Lost 97% of Its Light for 9 Months

A Star Lost 97% of Its Light for 9 Months — And Astronomers Know Why

Astronomers have confirmed that ASASSN-24fw dimmed by an extraordinary 97% over a period of more than nine months, starting in late 2024 making it one of the longest and deepest stellar eclipses ever recorded.

The star, located in the Monoceros constellation, was monitored through sky surveys that track brightness changes in stars over time. The data clearly shows a prolonged and structured drop in light, far beyond what a normal planet could cause.

Scientists say the most likely explanation is a massive ringed object passing in front of the star either a brown dwarf or a super Jupiter–type planet. Unlike typical transits that last hours or days, this event stretched across months, pointing to something enormous in size. The ring system itself is estimated to span about 16 million miles (25 million km), making it one of the largest ever inferred. As different parts of the rings moved across the star, they created layered dimming patterns, which allowed astronomers to study the structure indirectly through its light curve. Importantly, the object has not been directly imaged everything we know comes from how it blocked the star’s light. But the consistency and duration of the data strongly support the ringed-object explanation rather than random dust or noise. Events like this are extremely rare, with only a few comparable cases ever recorded. Researchers are continuing to monitor the system to confirm the object’s orbit and determine whether additional features like gaps or forming moons within the rings can be detected.

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