Object of the Week - Epsilon Eridani

For this week we have an interesting star system, Epsilon Eridani (ε Eri). It is located low in the southern sky for northern hemisphere observers. The star is a K2 type star which means it is slightly smaller and cooler in temperature than our sun which is a G2 type star. It is the third closest naked eye star at 10 1/2 light-years. ε Eri is suspected, but so far unconfirmed, to harbor at least 2 giant planets, one about 1.5 times the mass of Jupiter and the other only about 1/10th the mass of Jupiter. There are also two confirmed dust disk orbiting the star. The gaps in the disk are a clue pointing to the existence of planets.

This star often appears in science fiction, such as the 1990's TV show Babylon 5. It is the location of the space station for which the show gets its name.

Image: Epsilon Eri, DDS

Image: Size of Eps Eri

Image: Image of disk around Eps Eri

Image: Artist impression of what the system may look like, Nasa/JPL/CalTech

Finder Charts

Image: 90 Deg Finder Chart

Image: 30 Deg Finder Chart