Star type
g WDZ7 VII (white dwarf)
Distance from Earth
g 14.37 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 1.3% (about 7,800 miles); 70% (density of about 20 tons to the cubic inch); NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.0182
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g See chart
Picture of star
g See picture (listed as “367”)
Star system features
g Third closest white dwarf to the Sun after Sirius B and the second closest is Procyon B; closest non-binary white dwarf system, however
Known planets
g A second body may be present
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g G 158-27, 4.23 ly
g L 1159-16, 4.6 ly
g YZ Ceti, 5.7 ly
g Tau Ceti, 6.2 ly
g BD+01 4774, 6.8 ly
g L 722-22 AB. 7.4 ly
g Luyten 726-8 A/UV Ceti, 7.6 ly
g Teegarden's Star, ~7.8 ly
g Gliese 876 / Ross 780, 8.9 ly
g EZ Aquarii 3, 9 ly
g Groombridge 34 Aab,B, 9.1 ly
g EQ Pegasi 2, 9.3 ly
g Ross 248, 9.5 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, 9.9 ly
g BD+04 123, 10 ly
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
g See 20-ly steller map
Location in Earth sky
g Lies in the center of Constellation Pisces, the Fish, west of Delta Piscium and east of Omega Piscium; not visible to naked eye
Other names
g Gliese 35
g WD 0046+051
g G 001-027
g GCTP 160.00
g LHS 7
g HIP 3829
g G 70-16
g LTT 10292
g LFT 76
g Wolf 28
g W 5
Sci-fi mentions
g A World Out of Time (1976), novel by Larry Niven. Van Maanen's Star is the first target intended for protagonist Jerome Corbell's terraforming loop.
g Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. The Van Maanen's Star system is the home of a radical religious sect that believes in suffering as the key to salvation. Mining is done without machines, and any surplus money that is not needed to satisfy basic requirements like oxygen, food and water is burned in a sacred ceremony. The system is only accessible with a special permit.
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Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Wolf 424 AB
Star type
g A: M5.5 J
g B: M7
Distance from Earth
g 14.3 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g A: NA
g B: NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g A: 17%; 14%; NA
g B: 13%; 14%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g A: 14/100,000th (If Sun were replaced by Wolf 424 A, an observer on Earth would need a telescope to see its round shape clearly, and daylight would be very dim with not much more than ten times the brightness of full moonlight with Sol)
g B: 8/100,000th
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g Wolf 424 B may be one of the most active (UV-Ceti type) flare stars known
Known planets
g None
Habitable zone
g A: To be warmed sufficiently by star light to have liquid water, about 0.01 AU and a 1.3-day orbital period
g B: To be warmed sufficiently by star light to have liquid water, about 0.009 AU and a 1.2-day orbital period
Orbital map
g stars are separated "on average" by only 3.1 times the Earth-Sun distance of an orbital semi-major axis (a= 0.715 +/-0.04"). However, the pair travel in an eccentric orbit (e= 0.28) around each other, and so their separation actually varies between 2.6 and 4.2 AUs in an orbit that takes 16.2 years to complete. See map
View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g Ross 128, 4 ly
g EE Leonis, 7.2 ly
g Lalande 25372, 7.2 ly
g G 12-30, 7.3 ly
g Wolf 359, 7.3 ly
g LP 731-58, 7.4 ly
g AD Leonis, 8.1 ly
g LP 378-541, 8.4 ly
g BD+44 2051 AB, 9.7 ly
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g North central part of Constellation Virgo, the Maiden, south of Vindemiatrix (Epsilon Virginis) and north of Auva (Delta Virginis); not visible to the naked eye, either combined or individually
Other names
g A: Gl 473 A
g A: G 12-43
g A: G 60-14
g A: LHS 333
g A: LTT 13546
g A: LFT 923
g B: FL Virginis
g B: Gl 473 B
g B: G 236-65 B
g B: LHS 333 B
Sci-fi mentions
g The Arrival (1996), film: Wolf 424 is the point of origin of an invading alien race
g Location of Babel in "Star Trek" franchise
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g A: M5.5 J
g B: M7
Distance from Earth
g 14.3 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g A: NA
g B: NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g A: 17%; 14%; NA
g B: 13%; 14%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g A: 14/100,000th (If Sun were replaced by Wolf 424 A, an observer on Earth would need a telescope to see its round shape clearly, and daylight would be very dim with not much more than ten times the brightness of full moonlight with Sol)
g B: 8/100,000th
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g Wolf 424 B may be one of the most active (UV-Ceti type) flare stars known
Known planets
g None
Habitable zone
g A: To be warmed sufficiently by star light to have liquid water, about 0.01 AU and a 1.3-day orbital period
g B: To be warmed sufficiently by star light to have liquid water, about 0.009 AU and a 1.2-day orbital period
Orbital map
g stars are separated "on average" by only 3.1 times the Earth-Sun distance of an orbital semi-major axis (a= 0.715 +/-0.04"). However, the pair travel in an eccentric orbit (e= 0.28) around each other, and so their separation actually varies between 2.6 and 4.2 AUs in an orbit that takes 16.2 years to complete. See map
View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g Ross 128, 4 ly
g EE Leonis, 7.2 ly
g Lalande 25372, 7.2 ly
g G 12-30, 7.3 ly
g Wolf 359, 7.3 ly
g LP 731-58, 7.4 ly
g AD Leonis, 8.1 ly
g LP 378-541, 8.4 ly
g BD+44 2051 AB, 9.7 ly
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g North central part of Constellation Virgo, the Maiden, south of Vindemiatrix (Epsilon Virginis) and north of Auva (Delta Virginis); not visible to the naked eye, either combined or individually
Other names
g A: Gl 473 A
g A: G 12-43
g A: G 60-14
g A: LHS 333
g A: LTT 13546
g A: LFT 923
g B: FL Virginis
g B: Gl 473 B
g B: G 236-65 B
g B: LHS 333 B
Sci-fi mentions
g The Arrival (1996), film: Wolf 424 is the point of origin of an invading alien race
g Location of Babel in "Star Trek" franchise
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Sunday, July 29, 2007
Gliese 1
Star type
g M1.5V
Distance from Earth
g 14.22 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA; 83%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 3.21%
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration (star is similar to Proxima)
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g None
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g In the constellation Sculptor, which is found in the southern part of the sky. As it lies very close to the origin of the astronomical right ascension coordinates
Other names
g Giclas 267-025, CD -37°15492, HD 225213, GCTP 5817.00, LHS 1, HIP 439, YPC 5817.00, Cincinnati
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g M1.5V
Distance from Earth
g 14.22 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA; 83%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 3.21%
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration (star is similar to Proxima)
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g None
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g In the constellation Sculptor, which is found in the southern part of the sky. As it lies very close to the origin of the astronomical right ascension coordinates
Other names
g Giclas 267-025, CD -37°15492, HD 225213, GCTP 5817.00, LHS 1, HIP 439, YPC 5817.00, Cincinnati
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Saturday, July 28, 2007
Gliese 628
Star type
g M3 (may be a close binary; if so, the second star would be a dim MV)
Distance from Earth
g 13.81 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA; 0.26; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.14%
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g Star system may be close binary with a red dwarf
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g See stellar map (listed as "Wolf 1061")
Location in Earth sky
g In the constellation Ophiuchus
Other names
g Wolf 1061
g A: V2306 Ophiuchi
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g M3 (may be a close binary; if so, the second star would be a dim MV)
Distance from Earth
g 13.81 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA; 0.26; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.14%
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g Star system may be close binary with a red dwarf
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g See stellar map (listed as "Wolf 1061")
Location in Earth sky
g In the constellation Ophiuchus
Other names
g Wolf 1061
g A: V2306 Ophiuchi
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Friday, July 27, 2007
Ross 614 AB
Star type
g A: M4.5 Ve
g B: M8 V
Distance from Earth
g 13.34 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g A: NA
g B: NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g A: NA; 0.17; NA
g B: NA; 0.097; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g A: 0.0506%
g B: 0.003%
Metallicity
g A: NA
g B: NA
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g A: None
g B: None
Habitable zone
g A: NA
g B: NA
Orbital map
g Orbital period is about 16.6 years and the semi-major axis has a separation of only 0.932"
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g NA
Other names
g Gl 106-049
g GJ 234 A/B
g GCTP 1509.00
g LHS 1849/1850
g V577 Monocerotis
g HIP 30920
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g A: M4.5 Ve
g B: M8 V
Distance from Earth
g 13.34 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g A: NA
g B: NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g A: NA; 0.17; NA
g B: NA; 0.097; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g A: 0.0506%
g B: 0.003%
Metallicity
g A: NA
g B: NA
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g A: None
g B: None
Habitable zone
g A: NA
g B: NA
Orbital map
g Orbital period is about 16.6 years and the semi-major axis has a separation of only 0.932"
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g NA
Other names
g Gl 106-049
g GJ 234 A/B
g GCTP 1509.00
g LHS 1849/1850
g V577 Monocerotis
g HIP 30920
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Thursday, July 26, 2007
DENIS 1048-3956
Star type
g M8.5
Distance from Earth
g 13.2 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA; 6%-9% (75-90 Jupiter masses); 2,200° K
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.00015% (would look dimmer than the full Moon from Earth if it replaced the Sun in the Solar System)
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g See picture
g See picture
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g L 143-23, ~5 ly
g L 145-141, ~7 ly
g LP 731-58, ~7 ly
g Hip 54298, ~9 ly
g Ross 128, ~9 ly
g Wolf 359, ~10 ly
Map locating star system
g http://anzwers.org/free/universe/20lys.html (listed as Denis 1048-39)
Location in Earth sky
g At southern edge of Constellation Antlia, the Air Pump northeast of the Eight-burst Planetary and Phi Velorum; it is about 10,000 times too faint to be seen with the naked eye.
Other names
g DENIS-P J104814.7-395606.1
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g M8.5
Distance from Earth
g 13.2 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA; 6%-9% (75-90 Jupiter masses); 2,200° K
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.00015% (would look dimmer than the full Moon from Earth if it replaced the Sun in the Solar System)
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g See picture
g See picture
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g L 143-23, ~5 ly
g L 145-141, ~7 ly
g LP 731-58, ~7 ly
g Hip 54298, ~9 ly
g Ross 128, ~9 ly
g Wolf 359, ~10 ly
Map locating star system
g http://anzwers.org/free/universe/20lys.html (listed as Denis 1048-39)
Location in Earth sky
g At southern edge of Constellation Antlia, the Air Pump northeast of the Eight-burst Planetary and Phi Velorum; it is about 10,000 times too faint to be seen with the naked eye.
Other names
g DENIS-P J104814.7-395606.1
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Kruger 60 AB
Star type
g A: M3
g B: M4 (fainter of pair)
Distance from Earth
g 13.14 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g A: NA
g B: NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g A: NA; 0.27 M; 3180 K
g B: NA; 0.16 M; 2890 K
Brightness (xSol)
g A: 0.16%
g B: 0.042%
Metallicity
g A: NA
g B: NA
Comparison to Sol
g A: NA
g B: NA
Picture of stars
g See picture
Star system features
g B: An irregular flare that typically doubles in brightness and then returns to normal over an 8 minute period
Known planets
g A: None
g B: None
Habitable zone
g A: NA
g B: NA
Orbital map
g Stars orbit each other every 44.6 years. On average, the two stars are separated by 9.5 AUs, which is roughly the average distance of Saturn from the Sun. However, their eccenctric mutual orbit causes their distance to vary between 5.5 AUs at periastron, to 13.5 at apastron.
View from star
g A or B: Sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g http://anzwers.org/free/universe/20lys.html
Location in Earth sky
g In the constellation of Cepheus; not visible to naked eye
Other names
g A: ADS 15972
g A-B: GJ 860 AB
g A-B: DO Cephei AB
g A: LHS 3814
g A: Vys 207 A
g B: LHS 3815
g B: Vys 207 B
g SCR 1845-6357
g Gl 232-075
g BD +56°2783
g HD 239960
g GCTP 5438.00
g HIP 110893
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g A: M3
g B: M4 (fainter of pair)
Distance from Earth
g 13.14 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g A: NA
g B: NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g A: NA; 0.27 M; 3180 K
g B: NA; 0.16 M; 2890 K
Brightness (xSol)
g A: 0.16%
g B: 0.042%
Metallicity
g A: NA
g B: NA
Comparison to Sol
g A: NA
g B: NA
Picture of stars
g See picture
Star system features
g B: An irregular flare that typically doubles in brightness and then returns to normal over an 8 minute period
Known planets
g A: None
g B: None
Habitable zone
g A: NA
g B: NA
Orbital map
g Stars orbit each other every 44.6 years. On average, the two stars are separated by 9.5 AUs, which is roughly the average distance of Saturn from the Sun. However, their eccenctric mutual orbit causes their distance to vary between 5.5 AUs at periastron, to 13.5 at apastron.
View from star
g A or B: Sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g NA
Map locating star system
g http://anzwers.org/free/universe/20lys.html
Location in Earth sky
g In the constellation of Cepheus; not visible to naked eye
Other names
g A: ADS 15972
g A-B: GJ 860 AB
g A-B: DO Cephei AB
g A: LHS 3814
g A: Vys 207 A
g B: LHS 3815
g B: Vys 207 B
g SCR 1845-6357
g Gl 232-075
g BD +56°2783
g HD 239960
g GCTP 5438.00
g HIP 110893
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Lacaille 8760
Star type
g K7-M2 Ve
Distance from Earth
g 12.86 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g Appears to be older than Sol's 4.6 billion years
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 66%-72%; 60%; 3,340 K
Brightness (xSol)
g 2.87%-3.45%
Metallicity
g No better than 50%
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g Flare activity may be unusually low when compared with that of other flare stars of similar type
g Future: With an orbital eccentricity of 23 percent, Lacaille 8760 is sidling closer to the galaxy's heart; at its closest approach it will pass within 21,000 light-years of the galactic center, then journey outward to a maximum distance of 34,000 light-years. Lacaille 8760 is also moving up through the galactic plane, but nearly five times faster than Sol; it will ultimately climb 1,500 light-years above the galactic plane.
g Past: Lacaille 8760 skirted closest to the Sun 20,000 years ago, during the last ice age, at a minimum distance of 12.1 light-years. Ever since, the little red star has been creeping away. As it continues to recede from Earth, it will continue to fade while another dim sun moves to take its place as the brightest red dwarf. In time, Lacaille 8760 will grow dim and obscure
Known planets
g No supporting evidence for a large Jupiter or brown-dwarf-sized object has been found
Habitable zone
g Accounting for infrared heating, the distance from Lacaile 8760 where an Earth-type planet would be comfortable with liquid water based on visible light alone is centered around 0.28 AU (just inside the orbit of Mercury)
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g CD-49 13515; 4.2 ly
g Epsilson Indi, 4.1 ly
g Lacaille 9352, 4.9 ly
g EZ Aquarii 3, 6.4 ly
g Ross 154, 7.4 ly
g Hip 103039; 7.8 ly
g HJ 5173 AB, 7.8 ly
g Cincinnati, 7.9 ly
g Gliese 876 / Ross 780, 8.2 ly
g CD-45 13677, 8.3 ly
g L 347-14, 8.4 ly
Map locating star system
g See map
Location in Earth sky
g South central part of constellation Microscopium, the Microscope, south of Alpha Microscopii, southwest of Gamma Microscopii, northwest of Theta1 Microscopii, and north of Zeta and Alpha Indi (The Persian); slightly too faint to be seen
Other names
g AX Microscopii
g GJ 825
g HD 202560
g LHS 66
g LP 341-14
g CD-39°14192
g GCTP 5117
g HIP 105090
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g K7-M2 Ve
Distance from Earth
g 12.86 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g Appears to be older than Sol's 4.6 billion years
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 66%-72%; 60%; 3,340 K
Brightness (xSol)
g 2.87%-3.45%
Metallicity
g No better than 50%
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g Flare activity may be unusually low when compared with that of other flare stars of similar type
g Future: With an orbital eccentricity of 23 percent, Lacaille 8760 is sidling closer to the galaxy's heart; at its closest approach it will pass within 21,000 light-years of the galactic center, then journey outward to a maximum distance of 34,000 light-years. Lacaille 8760 is also moving up through the galactic plane, but nearly five times faster than Sol; it will ultimately climb 1,500 light-years above the galactic plane.
g Past: Lacaille 8760 skirted closest to the Sun 20,000 years ago, during the last ice age, at a minimum distance of 12.1 light-years. Ever since, the little red star has been creeping away. As it continues to recede from Earth, it will continue to fade while another dim sun moves to take its place as the brightest red dwarf. In time, Lacaille 8760 will grow dim and obscure
Known planets
g No supporting evidence for a large Jupiter or brown-dwarf-sized object has been found
Habitable zone
g Accounting for infrared heating, the distance from Lacaile 8760 where an Earth-type planet would be comfortable with liquid water based on visible light alone is centered around 0.28 AU (just inside the orbit of Mercury)
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g CD-49 13515; 4.2 ly
g Epsilson Indi, 4.1 ly
g Lacaille 9352, 4.9 ly
g EZ Aquarii 3, 6.4 ly
g Ross 154, 7.4 ly
g Hip 103039; 7.8 ly
g HJ 5173 AB, 7.8 ly
g Cincinnati, 7.9 ly
g Gliese 876 / Ross 780, 8.2 ly
g CD-45 13677, 8.3 ly
g L 347-14, 8.4 ly
Map locating star system
g See map
Location in Earth sky
g South central part of constellation Microscopium, the Microscope, south of Alpha Microscopii, southwest of Gamma Microscopii, northwest of Theta1 Microscopii, and north of Zeta and Alpha Indi (The Persian); slightly too faint to be seen
Other names
g AX Microscopii
g GJ 825
g HD 202560
g LHS 66
g LP 341-14
g CD-39°14192
g GCTP 5117
g HIP 105090
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Monday, July 23, 2007
Kapteyn’s Star
Star type
g M0-1.5 VI
Distance from Earth
g 12.77 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g Old halo star
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 173,000 miles (twice that of Jupiter); 0.38; 3,800 K
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.383%
Metallicity
g 7.4 percent of Sol's abundance iron and a mean weight metallicity abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen of almost 10.5 percent of Sol's; due to the scarcity of heavier elements, the star looks a bit more bluish than a main sequence red dwarf of class M
Comparison to Sol
g See chart
g See chart
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g Space velocity of 291 km/sec, making it a one of the highest “high” velocity stars known; based on its eccentric, retrograde galactic orbital path, the star may have been born a globular cluster similar to Omega Centauri
g Closest known halo star
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g Accounting for the great infrared output of M-stars like Kapteyn's Star, the equivalent orbital distance for an Earth-type planet may move out to around 0.26 AUs. At a little over half of Mercury's distance in the Solar System, however, the rotation of the planet could become tidally locked with the star so that one side would have perpetual daylight with the other in darkness. Assuming that Kapteyn's Star has at least 39.3 percent of Sol's mass, a small Earth-type rocky planet would complete its orbit the star in around 77 days.
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g LHS 1565, 3.7 ly
g LP 944-20 (brown dwarf), 6.1 ly
g Sirius 2, 7.5 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, 8.5 ly
g 82 Eridani 2, 8.9 ly
g Hip 15689, 9.2 ly
g Gliese 229, 9.3 ly
Map locating star system
g See star map
Location in Earth sky
g In the part of Constellation Pictor, the Painter's Easel, northwest of Beta Pictoris; not visible to the naked eye
Other names
g VZ Pictoris
g GJ 191
g HD 33793
g CD-45°1841, CP(D)-44°612
g SAO 217223
g LHS 29
g LTT 2200
g LFT 395
g CD GCTP 1181
g UGPMF 628
g HIP 24186
Sci-fi mentions
g Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Like Groombridge 1618, Kapteyn's Star is uninhabited.
g Doctor Who novels by Kate Orman. Kapteyn's Star is mentioned as home system to several dozen intelligent species who occupy many terrestrial and aquatic ecological niches.
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g M0-1.5 VI
Distance from Earth
g 12.77 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g Old halo star
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 173,000 miles (twice that of Jupiter); 0.38; 3,800 K
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.383%
Metallicity
g 7.4 percent of Sol's abundance iron and a mean weight metallicity abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen of almost 10.5 percent of Sol's; due to the scarcity of heavier elements, the star looks a bit more bluish than a main sequence red dwarf of class M
Comparison to Sol
g See chart
g See chart
Picture of star
g NA
Star system features
g Space velocity of 291 km/sec, making it a one of the highest “high” velocity stars known; based on its eccentric, retrograde galactic orbital path, the star may have been born a globular cluster similar to Omega Centauri
g Closest known halo star
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g Accounting for the great infrared output of M-stars like Kapteyn's Star, the equivalent orbital distance for an Earth-type planet may move out to around 0.26 AUs. At a little over half of Mercury's distance in the Solar System, however, the rotation of the planet could become tidally locked with the star so that one side would have perpetual daylight with the other in darkness. Assuming that Kapteyn's Star has at least 39.3 percent of Sol's mass, a small Earth-type rocky planet would complete its orbit the star in around 77 days.
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g LHS 1565, 3.7 ly
g LP 944-20 (brown dwarf), 6.1 ly
g Sirius 2, 7.5 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, 8.5 ly
g 82 Eridani 2, 8.9 ly
g Hip 15689, 9.2 ly
g Gliese 229, 9.3 ly
Map locating star system
g See star map
Location in Earth sky
g In the part of Constellation Pictor, the Painter's Easel, northwest of Beta Pictoris; not visible to the naked eye
Other names
g VZ Pictoris
g GJ 191
g HD 33793
g CD-45°1841, CP(D)-44°612
g SAO 217223
g LHS 29
g LTT 2200
g LFT 395
g CD GCTP 1181
g UGPMF 628
g HIP 24186
Sci-fi mentions
g Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, computer games. Like Groombridge 1618, Kapteyn's Star is uninhabited.
g Doctor Who novels by Kate Orman. Kapteyn's Star is mentioned as home system to several dozen intelligent species who occupy many terrestrial and aquatic ecological niches.
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Sunday, July 22, 2007
Teegarden’s Star
Star type
g M6.5 V
Distance from Earth
g 12.46 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 14.2%; 8%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.0009%
Metallicity
g Relatively strong spectral bands of Calcium Hydride (CaH2) and Titanium Oxide (TiO5)
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g See picture
g See picture
g See picture No. 3
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
]View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g L 1159-16, ~4.0 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, ~5.8 ly
g Hip 15689, ~7.2 ly
g Tau Ceti, ~7.7 ly
g Van Maanen's Star, ~7.8 ly
g Luyten 726-8 A/UV Ceti, ~8.0 ly
g Omicron2 Eridani 3, ~8.7 ly
g YZ Ceti; ~8.8 ly
g Groombridge 34 Aab,B, ~8.9 ly
g Ross 248, ~9.7 ly
Map locating star system
g http://anzwers.org/free/universe/20lys.html (Listed as SO 0253+1652)
Location in Earth sky
g Southwest corner of Constellation Aries, the Ram. It can be found southeast of Hamal (Alpha Arietis), Sheratan (Beta Arietis), Mesarthim (Gamma Arietis), and spiral galaxy M 74; northeast of Alrescha (Alpha Piscium); and northwest of Lamda, Mu, Xi2, and Nu Ceti, and Menkar (Alpha Ceti) and Kaffaljidhma (Gamma Ceti).
Other names
g SO 025300.5+165258
g SO J025300.5+165258
g 2MASS J02530084+1652532
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g M6.5 V
Distance from Earth
g 12.46 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 14.2%; 8%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.0009%
Metallicity
g Relatively strong spectral bands of Calcium Hydride (CaH2) and Titanium Oxide (TiO5)
Comparison to Sol
g See illustration
Picture of star
g See picture
g See picture
g See picture No. 3
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
]View from star
g NA
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g L 1159-16, ~4.0 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, ~5.8 ly
g Hip 15689, ~7.2 ly
g Tau Ceti, ~7.7 ly
g Van Maanen's Star, ~7.8 ly
g Luyten 726-8 A/UV Ceti, ~8.0 ly
g Omicron2 Eridani 3, ~8.7 ly
g YZ Ceti; ~8.8 ly
g Groombridge 34 Aab,B, ~8.9 ly
g Ross 248, ~9.7 ly
Map locating star system
g http://anzwers.org/free/universe/20lys.html (Listed as SO 0253+1652)
Location in Earth sky
g Southwest corner of Constellation Aries, the Ram. It can be found southeast of Hamal (Alpha Arietis), Sheratan (Beta Arietis), Mesarthim (Gamma Arietis), and spiral galaxy M 74; northeast of Alrescha (Alpha Piscium); and northwest of Lamda, Mu, Xi2, and Nu Ceti, and Menkar (Alpha Ceti) and Kaffaljidhma (Gamma Ceti).
Other names
g SO 025300.5+165258
g SO J025300.5+165258
g 2MASS J02530084+1652532
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Saturday, July 21, 2007
Luyten’s Star
Star type
g M3.5-5 Ve
Distance from Earth
g 12.36 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 11%; 25.7%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.145%
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g Infrared speckle interferometric searches for companions with a mass between 50 an 80 Jupiter-masses at 1-10 AUs and 100-1,000 AUs of Luyten's Star also have not been able to confirm the existence of such an object
Habitable zone
g Distance from the star where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is centered around 0.15 AUs, where its orbital period would be competed in less than 42 days. At such a close in orbit, however, the rotation of the planet may become tidally locked
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g Procyon: 1.11 ly (unusually close)
g Ross 614 AB: 3.9 ly
g DX Cancri: 5.5 ly
g LTT 12352: 5.6 ly
g Sirius 2: 5.8 ly
g Ross 882 AB: 7.1 ly
g LTT 17897: 7.7 ly
g LTT 17993: 7.7 ly
g GJ 1116 AB: 8 ly
g Wolf 294: 9.4 ly
g Ross 47: 9.6 ly
g Wolf 359: 9.8 ly
Map locating star system
g See map
Location in Earth sky
g Northern part of Constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn, near Constellation Canis Minor (the Smaller Dog), east of the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237, 2238, 2239, and 2246) and southwest of Gomeisa (Beta Canis Minoris) and west of Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris)
Other names
g Gl 273
g Hip 36208
g Ross 878
g BD+05 1668
g G 89-19
g G 112-17
g LHS 33
g LTT 12021
g LFT 527
g L 5-1668
g V 17
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g M3.5-5 Ve
Distance from Earth
g 12.36 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 11%; 25.7%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 0.145%
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g Infrared speckle interferometric searches for companions with a mass between 50 an 80 Jupiter-masses at 1-10 AUs and 100-1,000 AUs of Luyten's Star also have not been able to confirm the existence of such an object
Habitable zone
g Distance from the star where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is centered around 0.15 AUs, where its orbital period would be competed in less than 42 days. At such a close in orbit, however, the rotation of the planet may become tidally locked
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g Procyon: 1.11 ly (unusually close)
g Ross 614 AB: 3.9 ly
g DX Cancri: 5.5 ly
g LTT 12352: 5.6 ly
g Sirius 2: 5.8 ly
g Ross 882 AB: 7.1 ly
g LTT 17897: 7.7 ly
g LTT 17993: 7.7 ly
g GJ 1116 AB: 8 ly
g Wolf 294: 9.4 ly
g Ross 47: 9.6 ly
g Wolf 359: 9.8 ly
Map locating star system
g See map
Location in Earth sky
g Northern part of Constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn, near Constellation Canis Minor (the Smaller Dog), east of the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237, 2238, 2239, and 2246) and southwest of Gomeisa (Beta Canis Minoris) and west of Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris)
Other names
g Gl 273
g Hip 36208
g Ross 878
g BD+05 1668
g G 89-19
g G 112-17
g LHS 33
g LTT 12021
g LFT 527
g L 5-1668
g V 17
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Friday, July 20, 2007
YZ Ceti
Star type
g M4.5 Ve (flare star)
Distance from Earth
g 12.2 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA 8.5%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 1/5000
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Morgan-Keenan_spectral_classification.png
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g Tau Ceti, 1.6 ly (unusually close)
Map locating star system
g See map (listed as “L 725-32”)
Location in Earth sky
g south central part of Constellation Cetus, the Whale -- southwest of Baten Kaitos (Zeta Ceti) and northeast of Deneb Kaitos or Diphida (Beta Ceti); not visible to naked eye
Other names
g GCTP 248.01
g GJ 54.1
g Gl 268-135
g LHS 138
g LTT 670
g L 725-32
g HIP 5643
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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g M4.5 Ve (flare star)
Distance from Earth
g 12.2 ly
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g NA
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g NA 8.5%; NA
Brightness (xSol)
g 1/5000
Metallicity
g NA
Comparison to Sol
g http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Morgan-Keenan_spectral_classification.png
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g NA
Known planets
g NA
Habitable zone
g NA
Orbital map
g NA
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g Tau Ceti, 1.6 ly (unusually close)
Map locating star system
g See map (listed as “L 725-32”)
Location in Earth sky
g south central part of Constellation Cetus, the Whale -- southwest of Baten Kaitos (Zeta Ceti) and northeast of Deneb Kaitos or Diphida (Beta Ceti); not visible to naked eye
Other names
g GCTP 248.01
g GJ 54.1
g Gl 268-135
g LHS 138
g LTT 670
g L 725-32
g HIP 5643
Sci-fi mentions
g NA
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Thursday, July 19, 2007
Tau Ceti
Star type
g G8 Vp
Distance from Earth
g 11.9 ly
g To reach from Earth in 20 years, ship must average 0.61c
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g Possibly up to 10 Gy
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 77%; 81%-82%; 5,500 K
Brightness (xSol)
g 59%
Metallicity
g 22%-74% percent of Sol's abundance of iron; considered metal poor
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g Relatively large and dense disk of cold dust around star; extending to around 55 AUs from the star, this dust is believed to be produced by collisions between larger comets and asteroids that break them down into smaller and smaller pieces, and Tau Ceti's disk is similar in size and shape to the disk of comets and asteroids that orbits the Sun
g Modeling of Tau Ceti's dust disk observations by the astronomers indicate, however, that the mass of the colliding bodies up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in size may total around 1.2 Earth-masses, compared with 0.1 Earth-masses estimated to be in the Solar System's Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt (Greaves et al, 2004). Thus, Tau Ceti's dust disk may have around 10 times more cometary and asteroidal material than is currently found in the Solar System. Why the Tau Ceti System would have a more massive cometary disk than the Solar System is not fully understood. One theory is that Sol may have passed relatively close to another star at some point in its history and that the close encounter stripped off most of its comets and asteroids (Maggie McKee, New Scientist, July 7, 2004).
Known planets
g See paper "Signals embedded in the radial velocity noise"
g a - orbits star every 13.9 days; mass is 2 x Earth
g b - orbits star every 35.4 days; mass is 3.1 x Earth
g c - orbits star every 94 days; mass is 3.6 x Earth
g d - orbits star every 168 days; mass is 4.3 x Earth; in habitable zone
g e - orbits star every 640 days; mass is 6.6 x Earth
g Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have failed to find a large substellar companion (large Jupiter or brown dwarf)
Habitable zone
g Distance from Tau Ceti where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is centered around only 0.68 AU - at about the orbital distance of Venus in the Solar System; such a planet would have an orbital period of about 228 days - less than two-thirds of an Earth year. Probability of a habitable planet is 3.6%.
g It is likely that any planet found to orbit within the star's dust disk would experience relatively frequent bombardment from asteroids and comets of the size that is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and other types of multi-cellular life on Earth. As a result, some astronomers have speculated that it is likely that with so many large impacts, large and complex forms of Earth-type multi-cellular life may not have had the opportunity to evolve and persist on inner terrestrial planets orbiting this star. Others (such as Glenn Schneider of the University of Arizona and Scott Kenyon of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), however, argue that a giant planet in the system could gravitationally deflect comets and asteroids away from inner planets that may support life in the liquid water zone, in the same way that Jupiter protects Earth in the Solar System. and her colleagues speculated that Tau Ceti is uninhabitable due to the large number of comets that appear to be buzzing around it (although this assessment may have been overly pessimistic, she now says).
Orbital map
g See animation
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g YZ Ceti, 1.6 ly
g Luyten 726-8, 3.2 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, 5.5 ly
g Hip 15689, 5.9 ly
g Van Maanen's Star, 6.2 ly
g G 158-27, 7 ly
g L 1159-16, 7.1 ly
g Cincinnati, 7.5 ly
g LHS 1565, 7.6 ly
g Teegarden's Star, ~7.7
g Lacaille 9352, 7.9 ly
g L 722-22 AB, 8.1 ly
g EZ Aquarii 3, 8.8 ly
g LP 944-20 (brown dwarf), 8.9 ly
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g Lies in the south central part of Constellation Cetus, the Whale - southwest of Baten Kaitos (Zeta Ceti) and northeast of Deneb Kaitos or Diphida (Beta Ceti)
Other names
g Tau Cet
g 52 Cet
g HR 509
g Gl 71
g Hip 8102
g HD 10700
g BD-16 295
g SAO 147986
g FK5 59
g LHS 146
g LTT 935
g LPM 84
g LFT 159
Sci-fi mentions
g In Isaac Asimov's Robot and Foundation novels, the planet Aurora and its two asteroidal satellites orbit Tau Ceti.
g In Robert A. Heinlein's novel Time for the Stars, the flagship Elsie encounters a few planets, and an Earth type planet, that they name "Constance". It is later colonized.
g In the Viagens Interplanetarias (Interplanetary Voyages) stories of L. Sprague de Camp its system contains the inhabited planets of Vishnu, Krishna and Ganesha, the second of these being the setting of his novels The Queen of Zamba, The Hand of Zei, The Hostage of Zir, The Virgin of Zesh, The Tower of Zanid, The Prisoner of Zhamanak, The Bones of Zora, and The Swords of Zinjaban.
g In Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series this is the home star of the invading aliens known as the Race.
g In Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series, Tau Ceti is occupied by a race of humanoids known as Tau Cetans
g In Larry Niven's Known Space series, the human colony of Plateau orbited Tau Ceti.
g The Legacy of Heorot (1987) by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes takes place on the fourth planet of Tau Ceti.
g In Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos, Tau Ceti is orbited by Tau Ceti Center, capital of the Hegemony of Man.
g In Brian Antoine's online serial novella Tales of the Family nas Kan, a sci-fi/magic-based society of anthropomorphic animals inhabits a planet in the Tau Ceti system. See also furry fandom.
g In Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed, the action takes place in a fictional double planet system orbiting Tau Ceti. The two planets are called Anarres and Urras.
g In C. J. Cherryh's Hugo Award-Winning novel Downbelow Station, the space station referenced in the book's title (Pell Station) orbits a planet, Downbelow in the Tau Ceti system inhabited by the alien Hisa race.
g In Julian May's Galactic Milieu trilogy, Tau Ceti is orbited by the planet Molakar, inhabited by the alien race Krondaku, and destroyed in the Metapsychic Rebellion.
g Samuel R. Delany's Empire Star starts on a habitable moon circling a planet of Tau Ceti.
g In Frank Herbert's novel Destination: Void, Tau Ceti is the destination of the ship, precisely because it was known to have no habitable planets. The planet terraformed by the Ship around Tau Ceti may or may not be the setting of the Pandora Series of novels by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom (The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect, and The Ascension Factor).
g In Péter Zsoldos' novel trilogy (Return of the Viking, Distant Fire, The last temptation - originally Hungarian editions but later published in many countries around Europe) Tau Ceti is the destination of the first interstellar expedition of humanity. Gregor Man, a geologist is left behind on one of the planets (called Gama / Lalla) of the star and later becomes the king of the city of Avana.
g In the series Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there is a world called "Sirius Tau Ceti," settled (or artificially created) by the Sirius Corporation.
g In the Rama trilogy by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee, Rama travels through space towards Tau Ceti on their final voyage to the tetrahedric node.
g In Michael McCollum's The Sails of Tau Ceti, Earth is approached by a generation ship which left Tau Ceti as the star turned into a supernova.
g In the film version of Barbarella, the decadent city of Sogo is on a planet in the Tau Ceti system.
g In The Powers of Matthew Starr, the planet Quadris is identified as being a planet of Tau Ceti.
g In Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict, the warlike Jaridian species is referred to as having its main stronghold at Tau Ceti.
g In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Journey's End", the alien known as The Traveler is said to come from Tau Ceti. This information, however, contradicts the statement made in the episode "Where No One Has Gone Before" that The Traveler came from Tau Alpha C. In “Star Trek: Enterprise” episode “In a Mirror Darkly,” rebel races battle the Terran Empire at this star system in the mirror universe. In "Star Trek" universe, known as Kaferia (according to "Star Trek Star Charts"), which likely means its the origin of the Kaferian apples mentioned in "Star Trek: The Original Series" episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before."
g In the television series Doctor Who Tau Ceti is mentioned at least twice. In The Stones of Blood and Terror of the Zygons the planets Ogros and Zygor are said to orbit Tau Ceti.
g In Alan Moore's Skizz, Interpreter Zhcchz from Tau Ceti crash-lands outside Birmingham.
g In Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon, Master Pharaoh 90, the leader of the enemy group "Death Busters", comes from Tau Ceti.
g In Yukinobu Hoshino's 2001 Nights, Night 4, "Posterity", depicts an embryo space colonization starship on its voyage to planet Ozma in the Tau Ceti system.
g In the MMORPG EVE Online, the Gallentean race is said to be descended from people of French origin from the Tau Ceti system. The "Tau Ceti Federation", a french speaking alliance in EVE Online, have this name from this fact.
g In the Marathon game trilogy, Tau Ceti IV is the location of a human colony, about which the colony ship U.E.S.C. Marathon orbits.
g In the computer game System Shock 2, Tau Ceti V was where the starship Von Braun travelled on its maiden voyage. It was also the source of the invasion on the ship by both the AI SHODAN and the SHODAN-created lifeforms, the Annelids, which evolved into The Many.
g Pete Cooke's 1985 ZX Spectrum computer game Tau Ceti, published by CRL, was set on an airless planet orbiting the star.
g In David Braben's Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, Tau Ceti is orbited by the habitable, Earth-like (and densely populated) world known as Taylor Colony. The system is a member of the Federation. It was first permanent Human colony outside Solar system, and first non-Earth planet with life discovered.
g In Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, the vaguely referenced "Tau Ceti flowering" had accidentally destroyed all sentient life in the Tau Ceti system. This destruction is the primary argument used by the alien Progenitor Manifold Caretakers against causing further flowerings in other systems.
g In all three of the Escape Velocity games, Tau Ceti is the primary of a major star system.
g In Battletech, Tau Ceti is the first planet traveled to by human beings. This is accomplished by the TAS Pathfinder a ship powered by the Kearny-Fushida drive. Once colonized, it is named "New Earth."
g In "Earth and Beyond" series, the Tau Ceti system has been colonized by the Terrans. It is one of the endpoints of the Somerled Trade Run.
g Mentioned in Frederick Pohl's short story "I Plinglot, Who You?"
g Before war breaks out, Earth sends fifty couples as colonists to Tau Ceti II in Poul Anderson's "Epilogue"
g The system's fourth planet, Marduk, is a "pleasure planet" in Robert Silverberg's "The Man in the Maze"
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g G8 Vp
Distance from Earth
g 11.9 ly
g To reach from Earth in 20 years, ship must average 0.61c
Star Service No.
g NA
Age
g Possibly up to 10 Gy
Diameter/Mass/Temp (xSol)
g 77%; 81%-82%; 5,500 K
Brightness (xSol)
g 59%
Metallicity
g 22%-74% percent of Sol's abundance of iron; considered metal poor
Comparison to Sol
g NA
Picture of star
g See picture
Star system features
g Relatively large and dense disk of cold dust around star; extending to around 55 AUs from the star, this dust is believed to be produced by collisions between larger comets and asteroids that break them down into smaller and smaller pieces, and Tau Ceti's disk is similar in size and shape to the disk of comets and asteroids that orbits the Sun
g Modeling of Tau Ceti's dust disk observations by the astronomers indicate, however, that the mass of the colliding bodies up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in size may total around 1.2 Earth-masses, compared with 0.1 Earth-masses estimated to be in the Solar System's Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt (Greaves et al, 2004). Thus, Tau Ceti's dust disk may have around 10 times more cometary and asteroidal material than is currently found in the Solar System. Why the Tau Ceti System would have a more massive cometary disk than the Solar System is not fully understood. One theory is that Sol may have passed relatively close to another star at some point in its history and that the close encounter stripped off most of its comets and asteroids (Maggie McKee, New Scientist, July 7, 2004).
Known planets
g See paper "Signals embedded in the radial velocity noise"
g a - orbits star every 13.9 days; mass is 2 x Earth
g b - orbits star every 35.4 days; mass is 3.1 x Earth
g c - orbits star every 94 days; mass is 3.6 x Earth
g d - orbits star every 168 days; mass is 4.3 x Earth; in habitable zone
g e - orbits star every 640 days; mass is 6.6 x Earth
g Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have failed to find a large substellar companion (large Jupiter or brown dwarf)
Habitable zone
g Distance from Tau Ceti where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is centered around only 0.68 AU - at about the orbital distance of Venus in the Solar System; such a planet would have an orbital period of about 228 days - less than two-thirds of an Earth year. Probability of a habitable planet is 3.6%.
g It is likely that any planet found to orbit within the star's dust disk would experience relatively frequent bombardment from asteroids and comets of the size that is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and other types of multi-cellular life on Earth. As a result, some astronomers have speculated that it is likely that with so many large impacts, large and complex forms of Earth-type multi-cellular life may not have had the opportunity to evolve and persist on inner terrestrial planets orbiting this star. Others (such as Glenn Schneider of the University of Arizona and Scott Kenyon of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), however, argue that a giant planet in the system could gravitationally deflect comets and asteroids away from inner planets that may support life in the liquid water zone, in the same way that Jupiter protects Earth in the Solar System. and her colleagues speculated that Tau Ceti is uninhabitable due to the large number of comets that appear to be buzzing around it (although this assessment may have been overly pessimistic, she now says).
Orbital map
g See animation
View from star
g See sky map
Nearby stars
(Star systems with 10 light years)
g YZ Ceti, 1.6 ly
g Luyten 726-8, 3.2 ly
g Epsilon Eridani, 5.5 ly
g Hip 15689, 5.9 ly
g Van Maanen's Star, 6.2 ly
g G 158-27, 7 ly
g L 1159-16, 7.1 ly
g Cincinnati, 7.5 ly
g LHS 1565, 7.6 ly
g Teegarden's Star, ~7.7
g Lacaille 9352, 7.9 ly
g L 722-22 AB, 8.1 ly
g EZ Aquarii 3, 8.8 ly
g LP 944-20 (brown dwarf), 8.9 ly
Map locating star system
g See stellar map
g See stellar map
Location in Earth sky
g Lies in the south central part of Constellation Cetus, the Whale - southwest of Baten Kaitos (Zeta Ceti) and northeast of Deneb Kaitos or Diphida (Beta Ceti)
Other names
g Tau Cet
g 52 Cet
g HR 509
g Gl 71
g Hip 8102
g HD 10700
g BD-16 295
g SAO 147986
g FK5 59
g LHS 146
g LTT 935
g LPM 84
g LFT 159
Sci-fi mentions
g In Isaac Asimov's Robot and Foundation novels, the planet Aurora and its two asteroidal satellites orbit Tau Ceti.
g In Robert A. Heinlein's novel Time for the Stars, the flagship Elsie encounters a few planets, and an Earth type planet, that they name "Constance". It is later colonized.
g In the Viagens Interplanetarias (Interplanetary Voyages) stories of L. Sprague de Camp its system contains the inhabited planets of Vishnu, Krishna and Ganesha, the second of these being the setting of his novels The Queen of Zamba, The Hand of Zei, The Hostage of Zir, The Virgin of Zesh, The Tower of Zanid, The Prisoner of Zhamanak, The Bones of Zora, and The Swords of Zinjaban.
g In Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series this is the home star of the invading aliens known as the Race.
g In Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series, Tau Ceti is occupied by a race of humanoids known as Tau Cetans
g In Larry Niven's Known Space series, the human colony of Plateau orbited Tau Ceti.
g The Legacy of Heorot (1987) by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes takes place on the fourth planet of Tau Ceti.
g In Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos, Tau Ceti is orbited by Tau Ceti Center, capital of the Hegemony of Man.
g In Brian Antoine's online serial novella Tales of the Family nas Kan, a sci-fi/magic-based society of anthropomorphic animals inhabits a planet in the Tau Ceti system. See also furry fandom.
g In Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed, the action takes place in a fictional double planet system orbiting Tau Ceti. The two planets are called Anarres and Urras.
g In C. J. Cherryh's Hugo Award-Winning novel Downbelow Station, the space station referenced in the book's title (Pell Station) orbits a planet, Downbelow in the Tau Ceti system inhabited by the alien Hisa race.
g In Julian May's Galactic Milieu trilogy, Tau Ceti is orbited by the planet Molakar, inhabited by the alien race Krondaku, and destroyed in the Metapsychic Rebellion.
g Samuel R. Delany's Empire Star starts on a habitable moon circling a planet of Tau Ceti.
g In Frank Herbert's novel Destination: Void, Tau Ceti is the destination of the ship, precisely because it was known to have no habitable planets. The planet terraformed by the Ship around Tau Ceti may or may not be the setting of the Pandora Series of novels by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom (The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect, and The Ascension Factor).
g In Péter Zsoldos' novel trilogy (Return of the Viking, Distant Fire, The last temptation - originally Hungarian editions but later published in many countries around Europe) Tau Ceti is the destination of the first interstellar expedition of humanity. Gregor Man, a geologist is left behind on one of the planets (called Gama / Lalla) of the star and later becomes the king of the city of Avana.
g In the series Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there is a world called "Sirius Tau Ceti," settled (or artificially created) by the Sirius Corporation.
g In the Rama trilogy by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee, Rama travels through space towards Tau Ceti on their final voyage to the tetrahedric node.
g In Michael McCollum's The Sails of Tau Ceti, Earth is approached by a generation ship which left Tau Ceti as the star turned into a supernova.
g In the film version of Barbarella, the decadent city of Sogo is on a planet in the Tau Ceti system.
g In The Powers of Matthew Starr, the planet Quadris is identified as being a planet of Tau Ceti.
g In Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict, the warlike Jaridian species is referred to as having its main stronghold at Tau Ceti.
g In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Journey's End", the alien known as The Traveler is said to come from Tau Ceti. This information, however, contradicts the statement made in the episode "Where No One Has Gone Before" that The Traveler came from Tau Alpha C. In “Star Trek: Enterprise” episode “In a Mirror Darkly,” rebel races battle the Terran Empire at this star system in the mirror universe. In "Star Trek" universe, known as Kaferia (according to "Star Trek Star Charts"), which likely means its the origin of the Kaferian apples mentioned in "Star Trek: The Original Series" episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before."
g In the television series Doctor Who Tau Ceti is mentioned at least twice. In The Stones of Blood and Terror of the Zygons the planets Ogros and Zygor are said to orbit Tau Ceti.
g In Alan Moore's Skizz, Interpreter Zhcchz from Tau Ceti crash-lands outside Birmingham.
g In Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon, Master Pharaoh 90, the leader of the enemy group "Death Busters", comes from Tau Ceti.
g In Yukinobu Hoshino's 2001 Nights, Night 4, "Posterity", depicts an embryo space colonization starship on its voyage to planet Ozma in the Tau Ceti system.
g In the MMORPG EVE Online, the Gallentean race is said to be descended from people of French origin from the Tau Ceti system. The "Tau Ceti Federation", a french speaking alliance in EVE Online, have this name from this fact.
g In the Marathon game trilogy, Tau Ceti IV is the location of a human colony, about which the colony ship U.E.S.C. Marathon orbits.
g In the computer game System Shock 2, Tau Ceti V was where the starship Von Braun travelled on its maiden voyage. It was also the source of the invasion on the ship by both the AI SHODAN and the SHODAN-created lifeforms, the Annelids, which evolved into The Many.
g Pete Cooke's 1985 ZX Spectrum computer game Tau Ceti, published by CRL, was set on an airless planet orbiting the star.
g In David Braben's Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, Tau Ceti is orbited by the habitable, Earth-like (and densely populated) world known as Taylor Colony. The system is a member of the Federation. It was first permanent Human colony outside Solar system, and first non-Earth planet with life discovered.
g In Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, the vaguely referenced "Tau Ceti flowering" had accidentally destroyed all sentient life in the Tau Ceti system. This destruction is the primary argument used by the alien Progenitor Manifold Caretakers against causing further flowerings in other systems.
g In all three of the Escape Velocity games, Tau Ceti is the primary of a major star system.
g In Battletech, Tau Ceti is the first planet traveled to by human beings. This is accomplished by the TAS Pathfinder a ship powered by the Kearny-Fushida drive. Once colonized, it is named "New Earth."
g In "Earth and Beyond" series, the Tau Ceti system has been colonized by the Terrans. It is one of the endpoints of the Somerled Trade Run.
g Mentioned in Frederick Pohl's short story "I Plinglot, Who You?"
g Before war breaks out, Earth sends fifty couples as colonists to Tau Ceti II in Poul Anderson's "Epilogue"
g The system's fourth planet, Marduk, is a "pleasure planet" in Robert Silverberg's "The Man in the Maze"
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