Post by spacecowboy2006 on Jan 19, 2018 21:21:37 GMT
From Wikipedia___ Epsilon Eridani is in the southern constellation of Eridanus. An orange star slightly smaller and less massive than the Sun, and relatively close to the Solar System, it is frequently featured in works of science fiction. It is classified as a type K2 star, with the corresponding suggestion that it has a stable habitable zone and is well suited for life. However, one factor which weakens the case for habitability is its youth—as little as 200 million years old—and consequent high levels of ultraviolet emission.
The star's popularity as a subject of science fiction stems not from its general cultural resonance, but from the astronomical data:
Its proximity, ~10.5 light-years distant
Its similarity to the Sun, ~0.82 M☉, spectral type K
Its technical-sounding name, in this context a benefit rather than a detriment
Its demonstrated capacity to host a family of planets, with at least one confirmed.
Source:
The star's popularity as a subject of science fiction stems not from its general cultural resonance, but from the astronomical data:
Its proximity, ~10.5 light-years distant
Its similarity to the Sun, ~0.82 M☉, spectral type K
Its technical-sounding name, in this context a benefit rather than a detriment
Its demonstrated capacity to host a family of planets, with at least one confirmed.
Source:
