Researchers at theUniversity of Florida(UF ) are boldly go where no one has gone before – figuratively verbalise , that is . In a study bring out in theMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , uranologist with theDharma Planet Survey , a project focusing on low - sight planets around bright star , have pinpointedStar Trek’sfamous satellite Vulcan .
Let ’s be cleared here : there are n’t any pointy - eared , highly intellectual Vulcans actually inhabiting this newly discovered satellite . That would be illogical . Star Trekcreator Gene Roddenberry link up the fictitious planet with a real star,40 Eridani A. Now , scientist say the wiz hosts at least one satellite .
“ The new planet is a ‘ tops - Earth ’ orbiting the star HD 26965 , which is only 16 lightsome - years from Earth , ready it the closest super - Earth orbit another Sun - like star topology , ” said astronomer Jian Ge in astatement . “ The satellite is or so twice the size of Earth and orbits its star with a 42 - day period just inside the star ’s optimal habitable zone . ”
In 1991 , Roddenberry and three Harvard - Smithsonian astronomer wrote a missive toSky & Telescopedeclaring that if Vulcan were veridical , it would most likely orbit the star topology 40 Eridani A. This very material orangish midget star exists in the Milky Way galaxy along with the white dwarf star 40 Eridani B and the flushed gnome 40 Eridani C , which together orbit around A. What they had n’t known is whether a real satellite existed nearby .
“ This mavin can be seen with the naked eye , unlike the boniface stars of most of the jazz planets reveal to date . Now anyone can see 40 Eridani on a clean night and be lofty to sharpen out Spock ’s home , ” said Bo Ma , the paper ’s first generator .
But would this new super - Earth be able to house life ? Probably not . Vulcan is around 16 lite - age away and consider about eight time the mass of Earth , mean its gravity is probably too unassailable to support animation , reportsScience Magazine . moreover , it revolve very close to its orange star , which , although a bit small and cooler than our sun , would still make the planet very hot .
“ The orange tree - tinge HD 26965 is only more or less cooler and slightly less massive than our Sun , is approximately the same age as our Sun , and has a 10.1 - yr charismatic cps nearly indistinguishable to the Sun ’s 11.6 - year sunspot hertz , ” explained astronomer Matthew Muterspaugh .
