Astronomers have found the planet Vulcan 16 light years away from Earth
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Well … kinda. A new study from University of Florida astronomer Jian Ge, along with a team including Tennessee State University astronomers Matthew Muterspaugh and Gregory Henry, have discovered a planet orbiting the star 40 Eridani A as part of theAstronomers have found the planet Vulcan 16 light years away from Earth
Well … kinda. A new study from University of Florida astronomer Jian Ge, along with a team including Tennessee State University astronomers Matthew Muterspaugh and Gregory Henry, have discovered a planet orbiting the star 40 Eridani A as part of the Dharma Planet Survey, which is analyzing about 150 nearby stars that are like the Sun in size and temperature to detect planets based on Doppler shifts. The planet, categorized as a “super-Earth” (i.e., two to ten times the size of terra firma and possibly terrestrial), has twice the radius of Earth and about nine times the mass. According to the scientists involved, it is barely within the habitable zone of 40 Eridani A, an orange dwarf star (or K-type main-sequence star) which is smaller and cooler than our sun. 40 Eridani is a triple star system 16.4 light years from Earth in the constellation of Eridanus. 40 Eridani A is the brightest star of the three and visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Whether the planet discovered orbiting 40 Eridani A may support life is open question. The conditions would not be optimal. The closeness of its orbit means a year on this planet is 42 days, and that closeness to the star also means the planet’s temp is more “toasty” than what we’re used to here. All that extra mass means the gravity well of the planet would be stronger and make things a bit heavier too. Whether that would be cripplingly heavy for life to flourish is another open question. The reason these findings have made headlines in recent days is not exactly the planet itself but where this planet was located, and how close some of the conditions match an iconic fictional world in science fiction lore. Since at least 1968, the planet Vulcan from Star Trek has been speculated by fans and the show's creator as being located in the 40 Eridani system. Whether or not there are green-blooded, pointy-eared, human-looking aliens living on this planet is the next shoe to drop. Read more