Tau Ceti in Fiction - General Uses of Tau Ceti

General Uses of Tau Ceti

Many stars may be referred to in fictional works for their metaphorical or mythological associations, or else as bright points of light in the sky of Earth, but not as locations in space or the centers of planetary systems.

The constellation Cetus lies close to the celestial equator and intersects the plane of the ecliptic, which allows it to be seen from most of the Earth's surface. However, because of its unprepossessing appearance in the sky, and its want of a "good" traditional name to supplement its esoteric Bayer designation, Tau Ceti has rarely if ever been used in a general sense, either in traditional mythologies or in the arts and literature that draw sustenance from them.

The star's popularity as a subject of science fiction stems not from its general cultural resonance, but from the astronomical data:

• Its proximity, ~11.9 light-years distant
• Its similarity to the Sun, ~0.78, spectral type G
• Its short but technical sounding name, in this context a benefit rather than a detriment
• Its capacity to host a family of earth-like planets (proven in 2012)