Astronomy:Tau Ceti e
 Artistic depiction of a terrestrial exoplanet | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovery date | December 19, 2012 |
| Radial velocity | |
| Designations | |
| 52 Ceti e, Tau Ceti e | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.552 AU | |
| Orbital period | 168 d |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | ≥3.93 M🜨 |
Tau Ceti e, also called 52 Ceti e, is a doubtful[1]exoplanet candidate proposed to be orbiting Tau Ceti, first detected in 2012 by statistical analyses of the star's variations in radial velocity obtained using HIRES, AAPS and HARPS.[2][3] Its possible properties were refined in 2017, where it was one of two planets recovered from new data, the other being Tau Ceti f. Studies published in 2021 and 2025 have been unable to confirm this planet.[1][4]
Properties
It would orbit at a distance of 0.552 astronomical unit|AU (between the orbits of Venus and Mercury in the Solar System) with an orbital period of 168 days and has a minimum mass of 3.93 Earth masses.[5] If Tau Ceti e possesses an Earth-like atmosphere, the surface temperature would be around 68 °C (341 K; 154 °F).[6] Based upon the incident flux upon the planet, a study of planetary habitability by Güdel et al. (2014) suggested that the planet lies outside of the conservative habitable zone defined by the runaway greenhouse limit, but within the optimistic habitable zone defined by the "recent Venus" limit.[7]
In fiction
In Andy Weir's 2021 science fiction novel, Project Hail Mary, along with the 2026 film, Tau Ceti serves as the primary present-day setting of the novel and Tau Ceti e is given the name "Adrian" (after the character from the Rocky franchise) and serves as the setting for the climax of the story.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Figueira, P.; Faria, J. P.; Silva, A. M.; Castro-González, A.; Gomes da Silva, J.; Sousa, S. G.; Bossini, D.; Zapatero-Osorio, M. R. et al. (August 2025). "A comprehensive study on radial velocity signals using ESPRESSO: Pushing precision to the 10 cm/s level". Astronomy & Astrophysics 700: A174. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202553869. ISSN 0004-6361. https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202553869.
- ↑ Tuomi, Mikko; Jones, Hugh R. A.; Jenkins, James S.; Tinney, Chris G.; Butler, R. Paul; Vogt, Steve S.; Barnes, John R.; Wittenmyer, Robert A. et al. (2013). "Signals embedded in the radial velocity noise. Periodic variations in the tau Ceti velocities". Astronomy & Astrophysics 551: A79. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220509. ISSN 0004-6361. Bibcode: 2013A&A...551A..79T.
- ↑ "Four Exoplanets Detected around Nearby Star Tau Ceti" (in en-US). 2017-08-10. https://www.sci.news/astronomy/tau-ceti-exoplanets-05117.html.
- ↑ Cretignier, Michael et al. (September 2021). "YARARA: Significant improvement in RV precision through post-processing of spectral time series". Astronomy & Astrophysics 653: A43. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202140986. Bibcode: 2021A&A...653A..43C.
- ↑ Feng, Fabo; Tuomi, Mikko; Jones, Hugh R. A.; Barnes, John; Anglada-Escude, Guillem; Vogt, Steven S.; Butler, R. Paul (2017-09-05). "Color difference makes a difference: four planet candidates around tau Ceti". The Astronomical Journal 154 (4): 135. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa83b4. ISSN 1538-3881. Bibcode: 2017AJ....154..135F.
- ↑ Bignami, Giovanni F. (2015-06-13) (in en). The Mystery of the Seven Spheres: How Homo sapiens will Conquer Space. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-17004-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=crvpCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA110.
- ↑ Guedel, M.; Dvorak, R.; Erkaev, N.; Kasting, J.; Khodachenko, M.; Lammer, H.; Pilat-Lohinger, E.; Rauer, H. et al. (2014). "Astrophysical Conditions for Planetary Habitability". Protostars and Planets VI. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816531240-ch038. ISBN 9780816531240.
- ↑ Thompson, Joanna (2026-03-19). "I talked to Andy Weir about the astrobiology behind 'Project Hail Mary'". https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/i-talked-to-andy-weir-about-the-astrobiology-behind-project-hail-mary.
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