Epsilon Eridani in fiction

An artist's impression of the "confirmed" planet Epsilon Eridani b orbiting its parent sun.

The planetary systems of stars other than the Sun and the Solar System are a staple element in much science fiction. Epsilon Eridani is the fifth-brightest star (by apparent magnitude) in the riverine 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.[1] 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.[2] However, one factor which weakens the case for habitability is its youth—as little as 200 million years old[3]—and consequent high levels of ultraviolet emission[4] (see Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams, below).

General uses of Epsilon Eridani

Epsilon Eridani is one of the more northerly stars of Eridanus.

Many stars may be referred to in fictional works for their metaphorical or mythological associations, or else as bright points of light in the sky of the Earth, but not as locations in space or the centers of planetary systems.

The constellation Eridanus flows north and south in the night sky, and Epsilon Eridani is one of its more northerly stars (see map), which allows it to be seen from most of the Earth's surface. However, because of its unprepossessing appearance in the sky, and its want of a "good" traditional name to supplement its esoteric Bayer designation, Epsilon Eridani has rarely if ever been used in a general sense, either in traditional mythologies or in the arts and literature that draw inspiration from them.

The star's popularity as a subject of science fiction stems not from its general cultural resonance, but from the astronomical data:

 

There follow references to Epsilon Eridani as a location in space or the center of a planetary system, categorized by genre:

Literature

Illustration of the relative sizes of Epsilon Eridani, a small orange star (left) and the Sun (right).
The unconfirmed planet Epsilon Eridani c (Yellowstone?) as seen from a hypothetical moon (Marco's Eye?). The distant star is surrounded by a faint disk of dust particles.
Artist's conception showing two dust clouds, multiple rocky bodies, and a planet (left) orbiting Epsilon Eridani (right).

Film and television

Babylon 5

Star Trek

Other film and television

Interior view of an artificial space habitat, showing alternating land and window stripes (artist's impression).

Games

See also

Epsilon Eridani is referred to as a location in space or the center of a planetary system unusually often in fiction. For a list containing many stars and planetary systems that have a less extensive list of references, see Stars and planetary systems in fiction.

Notes and references

Notes

  1. Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter (1993). "Big Dumb Objects". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St Martin’s Griffin. p. 118. ISBN 0-312-13486-X. BDOs normally turn out to be built by some mysterious vanished race of alien intellectual giants (in the case of Eon, by men from the future), with the dramatic function of leading their human discoverers to the brink of a conceptual breakthrough. Besides Bear's Eon, examples include Niven's Ringworld and Clarke's Rama.
  2. The association of a huge asteroid-sized mass of stone with an insubstantial wisp of fluff may at first blush seem like an oxymoron. Note however that, in terrestrial ecosystems, the biological function of bits of thistledown (see graphic) is to waft life-bearing seeds across gulfs of space and to deposit them in more or less hospitable remote locations where they might grow—quite similar to the original cosmic purpose of the Thistledown.

References

  1. Boyle, Alan (2009). The case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 191. ISBN 0-470-50544-3.
  2. Guinan, Edward; et al. (Aug 10, 2009). "The violent youth of solar proxies steer course of genesis of life" (Press release). International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  3. Janson, M; et al. (September 2008), "A comprehensive examination of the ε Eridani system. Verification of a 4 micron narrow-band high-contrast imaging approach for planet searches", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 488 (2): 771–780, arXiv:0807.0301Freely accessible, Bibcode:2008A&A...488..771J, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:200809984
  4. Schmitt, J H M M; et al. (February 1996), "The extreme-ultraviolet spectrum of the nearby K Dwarf ε Eridani", The Astrophysical Journal, 457: 882, Bibcode:1996ApJ...457..882S, doi:10.1086/176783
  5. Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter (1993). "Dickson, Gordon R". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St Martin’s Griffin. p. 332. ISBN 0-312-13486-X.
  6. Dickson, Gordon R (2002). Dorsai Spirit. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. pp. 18 ff, passim. ISBN 0-312-87761-7.
  7. Vinge, Vernor (2001). The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. p. 164. ISBN 0-312-87584-3.
  8. Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter (1993). "Barbet, Pierre". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St Martin’s Griffin. p. 90. ISBN 0-312-13486-X.
  9. Pournelle, Jerry (1978). "Singularity". Black Holes. Brooklyn NY: Fawcett Books Group. p. 242. ISBN 0-449-23962-4.
  10. Plait, Phil. "Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax". Bad Astronomy. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
  11. Bear, Greg (1985). Eon. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. p. 427. ISBN 0-8125-2047-5.
  12. Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter (1993). "Forward, Robert L". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St Martin’s Griffin. p. 440. ISBN 0-312-13486-X.
  13. Tyers, Kathy (2004). Shivering World. New York: Bethany House Publishers. p. 49. ISBN 0-7642-2676-2.
  14. Clute, John; Nicholls, Peter (1993). "Turtledove, Harry". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St Martin’s Griffin. p. 1246. ISBN 0-312-13486-X.
  15. Weber, David (1998). Echoes of Honor. Riverdale, NY: Baen Publishing Enterprises. p. 464. ISBN 0-671-57833-2.
  16. Gould, Steven (1998). Helm. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. pp. 2 ff, passim. ISBN 0-8125-7135-5.
  17. Sawyer, Robert J (1998). Factoring Humanity. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. p. 303. ISBN 0-7653-0903-3.
  18. Reynolds, Alastair (2002). Revelation Space. New York: Ace Books. pp. 5, passim. ISBN 0-441-00942-5.
  19. Nylund, Eric (2001-10-30). "Interview with Eric Nylund, Author of Halo: The Fall of Reach". Halo.Bungie.Org. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  20. 1 2 "Epsilon Eridani". Halopedia. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  21. Williams, Walter Jon (2008). Implied Spaces. San Francisco: Night Shade Books. pp. 293–294; 306. ISBN 978-1-59780-151-5.
  22. Straczynski, J Michael (1995-10-08). "Babylon 5 Universe: The Station". Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  23. Mandel, Geoffrey (2002). Star Trek: Star Charts. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-3770-5.
  24. Baliunas, Sallie; Roddenberry, Gene; et al. "Vulcan's Sun". Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  25. van Vliet, Wouter. "The Boyfriend Complexity, but nothing about what happened between Leonard and Penny!". ilikealot. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  26. "The Beast". 42 Entertainment. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  27. "What is Extrasolar". Lazy 8 Studios. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
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