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Scientists from the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee have discovered what could become a dream for many Star Trek fans.
According to UF's information website, astronomers working on the Dharma Planet Survey have found a new exoplanet orbiting the HD Star 26965, or "40 Eridani A", a star better known to fans of Star Trek. from Spock's home planet, Vulcan.
In 1991, Gene Roddenberry, creator of "Star Trek," said real-life star 40 Eridani A would be the "ideal star to host Vulcan," according to CNN.
Now, this could be the case.
According to NBC, the newly discovered planet officially calls HD 26965b, a title consistent with the naming guidelines established by the International Astronomical Union.
But that could change if Jian Ge, the University of Florida astronomer charged with running the study, had his way. If the union allows it, the planet will be renamed Vulcan.
"The new planet is a" super-Earth "orbiting the star [40 Eridani A]which is only 16 light-years away from Earth, making it the nearest super-Earth orbiting another Sun-like star, "Ge said.
The "super-Earth" is about twice the size of our planet, but according to CNN, it is still much smaller than that of all the "gas giants" of our solar system.
As NBC has also reported, it is possible that the planet has an atmosphere. However, this new "Vulcan" does not rotate in its orbit, which can affect the chances of finding living organisms.
"[O]The side only faces the star while the other side shows it. If so, the side facing the host star would probably be very hot, "the report said.
So hot, that it probably would not be about to support life.
But Ge said there was hope for the cooler side of the planet, which could actually be habitable.
"On the other hand, life can also survive underground, like what" Star Trek "imagines, Vulcans stay in the caves," Ge said.
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