The line between science and science fiction is beginning to blur.
Star Trek fans like me know that - in the fictional universe first created by Gene Roddenberry in 1966 and loved by millions since then - Vulcans were the first extraterrestrial species encountered by the human population of Earth some centuries from now. Vulcans later became one of the founding members of (“be still my heart …”) the United Federation of Planets.
That was fantasy, but this is fact. Astronomers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory recently concluded a study that asked whether an upcoming Earth-orbiting satellite - called SIM PlanetQuest - would be able to detect an Earthlike planet around the star 40 Eridani. If so, this planet would resemble Vulcan, the fictional planet known to Star Trek fans as the home world of Mr. Spock.
More fact. 40 Eridani is a triple-star system 16 light-years from Earth. It includes 40 Eridani A: a red-orange K dwarf star slightly smaller and cooler than our sun. The fictional Vulcan is supposed to be a planet in orbit around that dwarf star.
More fiction. Vulcans are a humanoid race, with copper-based blood, slightly green-tinted complexion and notably pointed ears. Their culture is dedicated to the complete mastery of logic. But I digress.
The fact is that, as yet, no Earthlike planet is known in the habitable zone of 40 Eridani A. And that’s just what astronomer Dr. Angelle Tanner wanted to know. Could 40 Eridani A form such a planet? If so, could the real-life satellite SIM PlanetQuest detect it? The answer to both questions appears to be yes.
If Vulcan life were to exist on the planet, the orbit of the planet would have to lie in what these astronomers are calling “a sweet spot” around the star - its habitable zone - a place where water could exist in liquid form on the planet’s surface. As we all know, water is essential for life.
For 40 Eridani A, this habitable zone is 0.6 astronomical units from the star. That’s 0.6 times Earth’s distance from our sun, as shown in the illustration above.
When asked what life would be like on Vulcan, Tanner speculated that the inhabitants might be pale. “A K dwarf star emits its light at wavelengths which are a bit redder compared to those from the sun, so I wonder whether it’s harder to get a tan there,” she said.
For the full story of Tanner’s study, go to the SIM PlanetQuest site: Mission Could Seek Out Spock’s Home Planet
By the way, the Space Interferemetry PlanetQuest mission (SIM) - completed its technology program in 2005. It is a space-based interferometry mission, designed to detect and characterize rocky planets in the habitable zones of nearby sun-like stars. It uses essentially the same technology that has allowed extrasolar planets to be detected in the first place. In other words, it’ll be looking for a characteristic “wobble” in the position of distant stars, caused by their movement around a common center of gravity with an unseen planet. Because it’ll be above Earth’s atmosphere, it’ll be able to detect much smaller “wobbles” than ground-based instruments and thus it’ll be able to detect less massive planets than the 200 or so (mostly very massive) exoplanets known today.
The astronomers behind SIM PlanetQuest - some of the most able extrasolar planet hunters on Earth - say this instrument will be capable of detecting habitable planets around ~100 nearby stars and will provide a census of planets around ~2100 stars. They say the mission will “place our solar system in a broader context.” No kidding.
The mission could launch as early as 2015. Live long and prosper SIM PlanetQuest!
WOW! The launch is only 8 years away! We’ll have more neighbors - more people to relate to or maybe not!
Very nice acrticle. Well written and very informative.
Thank you Paul!
Deborah, you talk about the line between science and science fiction. Who’s doing the blurring? Discoveries that so closely correlate to Star Trek and Star Wars make me wonder if astronomers aren’t just looking for fictional planets and fictional characters. Maybe the astronomers want to meet Spock.
But I guess it’s an appropriate time to buy my “I’d Rather Be On Vulcan” t-shirt.
Lindsay, yes, it seems to me that the new generation of astronomers is much more fun-loving than the older generation … more willing to blur the lines.
I loved what Angelle Tanner - the JPL astronomer who did this research - wrote on her homepage: “We live on a beautiful planet. Its my life goal to find another one just like it. — AMT”
Deborah
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to find another water planet. My mind runs wild thinking of the different life forms that might inhabit another world. As long as they are friendly, I would love to dive into another pool of water.
deborah. the more you learn about quantum physics the more you will understand that you have already met your goal. this world and these thoughts have been issued a million billion trillion times and in the huge multiverse they have in fact alowwed a million deborah byrds to interact with a million vulcans. i know some would argue with my thoughts but at the same time current quantum theory (which i should add, is at the forefront of cosmological debate)would in fact agree that the world is a complicated place and you will be suprised with the outcome.
This is one of the most interesting studies about our universe. It is exciting to think about the possibility of another earth and another people.
Stumbled by accident on the blogsite. Great article. I’ve listened to you for years on the programs. They never said you were a babe.