Astronomers reveal HD 26965 b, known as Vulcan, is an astronomical illusion caused by stellar activity.
Further analysis revealed a consistent phase lag between 4.65 and 6.67 days, indicating stellar activity as the primary source of the observed radial velocity signal.
HD 26965 b is a super-Earth planet candidate with a mass equivalent to more than eight Earths and an orbital period of roughly 42 days.
Initially detected through radial velocity measurements using the NASA-NSF's NEID spectrometer, the planet's existence was called into question due to out-of-phase radial velocities.
This finding emphasizes the importance of accounting for stellar activity when analyzing exoplanet data.
In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have revealed that the planet HD 26965 b, previously believed to be a celestial body orbiting the star 40 Eridani A and resembling Vulcan from the Star Trek universe, is actually an astronomical illusion caused by stellar activity. The findings were published in The Astronomical Journal by a team led by Dr. Abigail Burrows of Dartmouth College and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This new research demonstrates the potential for making sharper observational distinctions between actual planets and stellar surface features in future studies.
HD 26965 b, also known as 40 Eridani A, is the host star for a super-Earth planet candidate named Vulcan. The mass of Vulcan is equivalent to more than eight Earths, and its orbital period is roughly 42 days. Initially detected through radial velocity measurements using the NASA-NSF's NEID spectrometer atop Kitt Peak in Arizona, the planet's existence was called into question when it was found that the observed radial velocities were out of phase with a previously proposed planet model. Further analysis revealed a consistent phase lag between 4.65 and 6.67 days, indicating that stellar activity was likely the source of the radial velocity signal.
The researchers corrected for this phase lag, which led to a significant reduction in the strength of the radial-velocity signal when modeled with a 42-day period. This finding strongly suggests that stellar activity is the primary source of the observed radial-velocity signal from HD 26965, rather than an actual planet. The discovery highlights the importance of carefully considering and accounting for stellar activity when analyzing exoplanet data.
This revelation has significant implications for exoplanet research, emphasizing the need to account for various sources of noise and potential confounding factors in order to accurately identify and characterize planets outside our solar system. The study also underscores the importance of collaboration between institutions and researchers from diverse disciplines in advancing our understanding of the universe.
Astronomers led by Abigail Burrows have published a paper revealing that the planet HD 26965 b, previously thought to orbit the star 40 Eridani A and be comparable to Vulcan in Star Trek, is actually an astronomical illusion caused by stellar activity.
The findings demonstrate the potential for making sharper observational distinctions between actual planets and stellar surface features in future studies.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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The article contains an appeal to authority and a false dichotomy. The author refers to the original detection of the planet as being compared to Vulcan from Star Trek immediately, creating a false dichotomy between science and fiction. Additionally, the author cites a study conducted by Abigail Burrows et al., an expert in the field, which is an appeal to authority.
Only five years later, the planet appeared to be on shaky ground when other researchers questioned whether it was there at all.
The new analysis, using high-precision radial velocity measurements not yet available in 2018, confirms that caution about the possible discovery was justified.
Abigail Burrows et al., The Death of Vulcan: NEID Reveals That the Planet Candidate Orbiting HD 26965 Is Stellar Activity*, The Astronomical Journal (2024).
The discovery of a planet, thought to orbit the star 40 Eridani A, which was believed to be Mr. Spock’s fictional home planet Vulcan in the ‘Star Trek’ universe, is an astronomical illusion.
Finely tuned radial velocity measurements hold the promise of making sharper observational distinctions between actual planets and stellar shakes and rattles.
Accuracy
A possible detection of a ‘super-Earth’ planet in a 42-day orbit around a Sun-like star was reported in 2018, but new analysis using high-precision radial velocity measurements revealed significant differences between individual wavelength measurements and the total signal.
The differences between individual wavelenght measurements suggest that the planet signal is likely an illusion caused by stellar surface features such as spots, plages, or convection.
HD 26965, also known as 40 Eridani A, is the stellar host for a super-Earth planet candidate named Vulcan.
The mass of Vulcan is equivalent to more than 8 Earths and its orbital period is roughly 42 days.
NEID-observed radial velocities of HD 26965 are out of phase with the planet model proposed by an earlier study, suggesting that stellar activity is likely the source of the radial-velocity signal.
The authors calculated phase offsets for all activity indicators using a Gaussian process and found a consistent phase lag between 4.65 and 6.67 days, more than 10% of the star’s rotation period.
Correcting for this phase lag leads to significant reduction of the radial-velocity signal strength when modeled with a 42-day period, suggesting that stellar activity is the primary source of the radial-velocity signal from HD 26965.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Publication
Deception
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The article does not make any direct author opinions or emotional manipulations. However, it does engage in selective reporting by focusing on the evidence against the existence of Vulcan and ignoring evidence that could support its existence. The article also implies facts without linking to peer-reviewed studies, specifically when it states 'What might bring us closer to a definite answer would be to combine detailed radial-velocity analysis techniques with what we already know about the effects of solar activity on radial-velocity measurements.' and 'The authors calculate phase offsets for all activity indicators using a Gaussian process, finding a consistent phase lag between 4.65 and 6.67 days, more than 10% of the star's rotation period.' without providing any references to these studies.
The observational parameters used to study stellar activity can become offset in time from the effects of stellar activity on radial-velocity measurements.
These are just a small sampling of demonstrations in the article – ultimately, they all seem to point towards stellar activity probably being the source of the radial-velocity signal from HD 26965, unfortunately for Vulcan.
