More Epsilon Eridani  StarDate: February 5, 2009   audio/mpeg
icon  In the lore of Star Trek, the planet Vulcan orbits the
nearby star Epsilon Eridani. And in fact, the star really does
have planets. Logically, though, we probably won't find any
Vulcans there, because the system is too young for the
development of such advanced lifeforms.  Epsilon Eridani is just
10 light-years away. It's a little smaller, cooler, and less
massive than the Sun -- not bad specs if you're looking for a
good home for life. But it's only about a fifth of the Sun's
age, so there probably hasn't been enough time for complex life
to have developed.  The ingredients are there, though. About a
decade ago, astronomers at McDonald Observatory discovered a
planet orbiting the star. It's half again as massive as Jupiter,
the giant of our own solar system. If it's like Jupiter, it's a
big ball of gas with no solid surface -- not an inviting home
for life.  But the planet may come close to the distance where
temperatures are right for liqui