dimmereids

Dimmeroids are a hypothetical class of celestial objects that have been proposed as a potential explanation for certain observed dimming events in distant stars. The concept suggests that these objects could be akin to planetary bodies or smaller stellar remnants that, due to their orbital path or inherent properties, periodically obscure a significant portion of a star's light as seen from Earth. This obscuration would manifest as a temporary, and potentially recurring, decrease in the star's brightness.

The term "dimmeroid" is not a formally recognized astronomical classification and is largely speculative. The primary motivation for considering such objects stems from unexplained dips in starlight observed by telescopes, such as those from the Kepler Space Telescope. While natural phenomena like transiting exoplanets are well-established causes for stellar dimming, some anomalies have been difficult to attribute to known celestial bodies or processes.

Researchers exploring the dimmeroid hypothesis consider various scenarios for their formation and behavior. These might include rogue planets ejected from their stellar systems, brown dwarfs, or even unusual forms of interstellar dust or debris clouds that are gravitationally bound in a way that leads to regular passage in front of a star. However, without direct observation or more concrete evidence, dimmeroids remain a theoretical construct within astronomical discussions. The search for evidence continues, often involving analysis of long-term photometric data for patterns indicative of dimmeroid activity.