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Epsilon Erandi

The star Epsilon Eridani (circled in the star chart below) is an orange dwarf star approximately 10.5 light years from Earth, with about 0.9 times the mass of the Sun. The star is visible to most of the Earth, since its declination is only -9.45 degrees. The surface temperature is slightly cooler than the Sun, around 5000 K; however the star is younger and has a solar wind approximately 30 times stronger. The solar wind produces intense bursts of radiation that affect the nearby space and planets.

Epsilon Eridani is thought to have at least one planet, Epsilon Eridani b, with an orbital period of 7 years. Numerous observations of the star and surrounding space have been made by SETI, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, between 1960 and 2010. So far, no extra-terrestrial radio signal has been observed from the Epsilon Eridani system. Scientists believe that the age of the star system might be too young to support life, even if the environment was favorable.

Travel time to Epsilon Eridani varies according to the maximum attainable speed. Light from the sun will reach Epsilon Eridani in 10.5 years (9.93*10¹⁶ meters). Unfortunately, Epsilon Eridani currently is moving away from the Sun at 15.5 km/sec.

References

(1) “Epsilon Eridani”, Sol Company, copyright 2010. Available: http://www.solstation.com/stars/eps-erid.htm