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Exactly 60 years ago, on September 8, 1966, the cult TV series “Star Trek” premiered. Although at that time no exoplanet – a planet outside the solar system – had not yet been discovered, the creators of the series presented viewers with a galaxy populated by desert worlds, ocean planets, double suns and many versions of Earth. But did real-life space discoveries justify the writers' wildest fantasies?
From Vulcan to real rocky worlds
One of the first planets that comes to mind when you think of Star Trek is the volcanic planet Vulcan—the dry, hot, rocky world where Mr. Spock lived. Canonically, Vulcan orbits the star 40 Eridani A, located about 16 light-years from Earth. In 2018, astronomers even announced the possible discovery of a planet around the star, which they unofficially dubbed “Vulcan.” However, further research has shown that the signal was likely caused by activity in the star itself, not a planet. This is a common phenomenon where stellar activity, such as sunspots or convection, can mimic planetary signals.
Although the "candidate" planet near 40 Eridani A has been discarded, real rocky exoplanets that orbit very close to their stars (in less than an Earth day) do exist. Some of them may have molten surfaces, atmospheres poisoned by rock vapors, or an eternally lit side and eternal night. Thus, nature has created worlds that are much more hostile than Spock's home.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KRBwyle)
Ocean worlds and planets with double suns
In contrast to the rocky Vulcan, Star Trek has also shown us planets almost entirely covered in water. One such world is “The Waters” from the Voyager episode “Thirty Days.” Although it was an artificially contained ocean without a solid core, a water-mass planet could theoretically exist, held together by its own gravity. However, the immense pressure deep within such a planet would turn the water into “high-pressure ice,” rather than an endless liquid ocean.
No exoplanet has been confirmed to have a global ocean, but there are promising candidates, such as TOI-1452 b, a super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf. This planet could contain a much higher proportion of water than Earth, although such a “water” planet would not necessarily be hospitable: the water could be hidden beneath a dense atmosphere, converted to high-pressure ice, or reside above an inhospitable core.
What Star Trek has predicted very well is planets with two or more suns, like Rhea, orbiting binary stars. The first confirmed circumbinary planet (orbiting two stars) – Kepler-16 b – would indeed have double suns if it were capable of supporting life. Unlike many fictional worlds, however, Kepler-16 b is a cold gas giant, not a tourist destination.
Credit and Copyright: NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology.
Reality surpasses fiction
Astronomers have already confirmed more than 6000 exoplanets, and some of them exhibit phenomena that the writers of “Star Trek” never dreamed of. For example, WASP-76 b is an ultra-hot gas giant, where the dayside is so hot that iron evaporates and can rain down on the cooler nightside.
KELT-9 b is so hot that molecules break apart and metals exist in the atmosphere. WASP-121b is another gas giant where iron and magnesium rain down.
Planet 55 Cancri e, which orbits its star every 18 hours, may be covered in an ocean of molten magma. There are also “rogue” planets that wander through space without a star of their own.
Star Trek often created strange worlds by changing one familiar feature, but nature has gone further, breaking all the molds. We observe planets with combinations of temperature, gravity, chemical composition and orbital dynamics that seem impossible, but the reality of cosmic discoveries turns out to be much stranger and more exciting than any fiction.
