Tau Ceti (τ Cet / τ Ceti) is a star commonly mentioned by science fiction authors since it is similar to the Sun in mass and spectral type in addition to being relatively close to us. However, Tau Ceti is a "metal-deficient" star and therefore is thought to be less likely to have rocky planets around it. No companions have yet been detected through astrometric or radial velocity measurements. In astronomy, an epoch is a moment in time for which celestial coordinates or orbital elements are specified. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Cetus (a name from Greek mythology, referring to a Whale or Sea monster, see Ceto) is a constellation of the southern sky, in the region known as the Water, near other watery constellations like Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus. ... Right ascension (RA; symbol α: Greek letter alpha) is the astronomical term for one of the two coordinates of a point on the celestial sphere when using the equatorial coordinate system. ... In astronomy, declination (dec) is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. ... // Headline text HEY!! HOW ARE YOU ALL?? Its nice of you to come read this page. ... In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated spectral characteristics, and subsequently refined in terms of other characteristics. ... In astronomy, color index is a simple numerical expression that determines the color of an object, which in the case of a star gives its temperature. ... In astronomy, color index is a simple numerical expression that determines the color of an object, which in the case of a star gives its temperature. ... Most stars are of almost constant luminosity. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Radial velocity is the velocity of an object in the direction of the line of sight. ... kilometre per second is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), signified by the symbol km/s or km s-1. ... The proper motion of a star is the motion of the position of the star in the sky (the change in direction in which we see it, as opposed to the radial velocity) after eliminating the improper motions of the stars, which affect their measured coordinates but are not real... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... Parallax, or more accurately motion parallax (Greek: παραλλαγή (parallagé) = alteration) is the change of angular position of two stationary points relative to each other as seen by an observer, due to the motion of an observer. ... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... Distance is a numerical description of how far apart things lie. ... A light year, abbreviated ly, is the distance light travels in one year: roughly 9. ... Stellar parallax motion The parsec (symbol pc) is a unit of length used in astronomy. ... In astronomy, absolute magnitude is the apparent magnitude, m, an object would have if it were at a standard luminosity distance away from us (in the absence of interstellar extinction!). It allows the overall brightnesses of objects to be compared without regard to distance. ... Mass is a property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter and energy it is equivalent to. ... In astronomy, the solar mass is a unit of mass used to express the mass of stars and larger objects such as galaxies. ... In classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment from its center to its boundary. ... In astronomy, the solar radius is a unit of length used to express the size of stars and larger objects such as galaxies. ... Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science. ... The solar luminosity, , is a unit of luminosity (power emitted in the form of photons) conventionally used by astronomers to give the luminosities of stars. ... In thermodynamics, temperature is the physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold —something that is hotter has the greater temperature. ... The kelvin (symbol: K) is the SI unit of temperature, and is one of the seven SI base units. ... In astronomy, the metallicity of an object is the proportion of its matter made up of chemical elements other than hydrogen and helium. ... A sphere rotating around its axis. ... The Pleiades, an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Taurus. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... The Henry Draper Catalogue is an astronomy catalogue with astrometric and spectroscopic data about more than 225,000 stars. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... SIMBAD (the Set of Identifications, Measurements, and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) is a database of astronomical information about objects within the Milky Way. ... The Pleiades, an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Taurus. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The Sun is the star of our solar system. ... Mass is a property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter and energy it is equivalent to. ... In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated spectral characteristics, and subsequenly refined in terms of other characteristics. ... The eight planets and three dwarf planets of our solar system, alongside the Sun. ...

Tau Ceti can be seen with the unaided eye as a faint star in the constellation of Cetus. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Cetus (a name from Greek mythology, referring to a Whale or Sea monster, see Ceto) is a constellation of the southern sky, in the region known as the Water, near other watery constellations like Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus. ...

Debris disc around Tau Ceti

In 2004 a team of UK astronomers led by Jane Greaves discovered that Tau Ceti has more than ten times the amount of cometary and asteroidal material orbiting it than our Sun does. This was determined by measuring the disc of cold dust orbiting the star produced by collisions between such small bodies. This result puts a damper on the possibility of complex life in this system, as planets there would suffer from large impact events roughly ten times more frequently than Earth. However, it is possible that a large Jupiter-sized gas giant could deflect comets and asteroids. On the bright side, this does tip the scales in favour of the star having planets.^[1] 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An astronomer or astrophysicist is a person whose area of interest is astronomy or astrophysics. ... Comet Hale-Bopp For other uses, see Comet (disambiguation). ... An asteroid is a predominantly rocky body that orbits around its star. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

See also

• List of nearest stars
• Tau Ceti in fiction

This list of the nearest stars to Earth is ordered by increasing distance out to a maximum of 5 parsecs (16. ... Tau Ceti is the closest single Sun-like star which makes it a popular setting in science fiction novels and other media. ...

References

1. ^ Greaves, J. S. et al, "The debris disc around tau Ceti: a massive analogue to the Kuiper Belt", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 351, Issue 3, 07/2004.

External links

• Sol Station — Tau Ceti
• Tau Ceti at Jim Kaler's STARS site