Spitzer Epsilon Eridani Discoveries Spur Discussion

Could an Earth-like world actually be in orbit around Epsilon Eridani, the sun that shines over the fictional world of Vulcan, the home of Star Trek's Mr. Spock? Scientists differ, but recent discoveries made by the Spitzer space telescope hold out some hope.

The Spitzer space telescope was launched into space on Aug. 25, 2003. The Spitzer space telescope detects light in the infrared range, which is blocked to a great degree by the Earth's atmosphere.

According to NASA:

"Many areas of space are filled with vast, dense clouds of gas and dust which block our view. Infrared light however can penetrate these clouds, allowing us to peer into regions of star formation, the centers of galaxies, and into newly forming planetary systems. Infrared also brings us information about the cooler objects in space, such as smaller stars which are too dim to be detected by their visible light, extrasolar planets, and giant molecular clouds. Also, many molecules in space, including organic molecules, have their unique signatures in the infrared."

The Spitzer space telescope has detected two asteroid belts circling Epsilon Eridani. Scientists believe that the Epsilon Eridani system contains one confirmed Jupiter sized world just outside the inner asteroid belt that is approximately the same distance from Epsilon Eridani as our solar system's asteroid belt is from the sun and one unconfirmed Jupiter sized world on the outer edge of the Epsilon Eridani system near the second asteroid belt.

A hypothetical Earth-like planet like Mr. Spock Vulcan has not yet been detected in orbit around Epsilon Eridani. But the presence of asteroid belts around Epsilon Eridani suggests that material did form during the early birth of the star that could have formed small, rocky planets closer in.

Epsilon Eridani is 10.5 light years around from Earth. It is a younger, cooler, and smaller than Earth's sun. Epsilon Eridani is a K2 class star, as opposed to Earth's sun which is a G class star. An Earth like planet, capable of sustaining life, would be in a somewhat closer orbit around Epsilon Eridani than Earth is to its sun.

Both Project Ozma, in the 1960s, and Project Phoenix, in the 1990s, designed to detect artificial signals from other solar systems failed to detect any such signals coming from Epsilon Eridani. That suggests that even if there was a real world equivalent of Vulcan orbiting Epsilon Eridani, there may not be Vulcans, at least with any technological sophistication.

However, if an Earth-like planet were ever to be confirmed circling another star, such a discovery would have a profound impact in the way humans see themselves in the universe. No telescope in existence, on Earth or in space, can definitively detect Earth like planets circling other stars, NASA is planning a terrestrial planet finder, either as in the form of a series of small telescopes flying in space in formation, or as one large telescope, to detect smaller planets orbiting other stars. A lunar based telescoped, as part of the return to the Moon program now under development, is also suggested as a way to detect smaller planets beyond our solar system.

Sources: Earth-like planet in Epsilon Eridani? It is logical, Captain, Dan Vergano, USA Today, October 27th, 2008

Closest Planetary System Hosts Two Asteroid Belts, Spitzer Telescope Page, NASA, October 27th, 2008