Astronomers discover the surprising reason for a stars disappearance

The steady beam of a star twice the size of the sun played a trick on astronomers about a year ago: It vanished. 

Then some nine months later, it reappeared in the constellation Monoceros, about 3,200 light-years away in space.

Now researchers think they've solved the mystery of one of the longest star-dimming events ever recorded. The star, called ASASSN-24fw, may have disappeared behind a giant planet with an enormous system of rings, according to new research, blocking most of its light from reaching Earth for nine months.