In the past few weeks heise online has taken apart the most exciting anomalies in astronomy. We didn’t find aliens, but we learned a lot.

At the end of June, researchers from the SETI project Breakthrough Lists had a catalog of more than 100 published astronomical anomalies, which is said to aid in the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Since June, heise online has dedicated the series X-Akten der Astronomy, which came to an end last week, to these anomalies, some of which cannot be explained until today. The author Alderamin has indeed found explanations or at least explanatory approaches for most of the explanations that do without extraterrestrials, but at the same time he made it clear what rapid development astronomy and astrophysics has made in recent years and how much we are still learning. Nevertheless, there remains enough mystery.

In astronomy there are always observations that cannot be explained at first. While some suspect extraterrestrials behind it, others expect new insights into the nature of the universe. They are always exciting. heise online takes a look at some of these previously unexplainable anomalies.

The anomalies analyzed are mysterious signals, alleged violations of natural laws, phenomena that cannot (yet) be explained and research carried out by science fiction was started. Scientists also know and keep pointing out that there is almost always some natural explanation in the end: Alderamine detailed how this research goes. It is not only about new theories to explain old puzzles, but also the existing scientific instruments, which are cleverly reused every now and then to answer new questions. The public attention through speculation about extraterrestrial life can certainly help to mobilize the necessary resources.

The whole 15 Articles about the most interesting anomalies of the catalog of Breakthroug Lists can be found on heise online and are also an insight into the diversity of basic astronomical research:

The Impossible White Dwarf That Wow! -Signal, or is someone there? Is someone modulating galaxy nuclei? The ghost planets around an undead Can stars just disappear? The impossible triple star KIC 2856960 The Riddle of the Brown Giants The Secrets of the Walnut Moon The hyperfast globular cluster HVGC-1 In search of Dyson spheres The spooky Leoncino dwarf galaxy The mysterious radio signals from the underground The dark accelerator Radio flashes from the other end of the universe KIC 8462852 – by large and small divers (mho)