Some media were very quick to jump on the idea that it might be aliens—the idea being that an advanced civilization might be building huge (really huge, like hundreds of thousands of kilometers across huge) solar arrays to collect starlight for power, and it was these that were blocking the star from our view, causing the dips.
The headline it might be aliens was everywhere. The correction no, it’s not likely aliens was no where near as viral. A lie travels at warp speed while the truth is still fixing it’s hyperdrive motivator.