Astronomers have discovered signals interpreted as signs of a world orbiting a star called 40 Eridani A, or HD 26965, the star orbiting the planet Vulcan in the science fiction TV series.Star wars” – were false positives not produced by an orbiting exoplanet. Finally, a closer analysis revealed that the signals were probably coming from the star itself.

This is the fourth paper to investigate the possible existence of a true Vulcan, and the third to find no exoplanets (one of the studies was inconclusive). We can probably safely place the nail in this particular coffin and move on.

But the results highlight the need for a more detailed understanding of stellar behavior to better identify signals in future data analysis as we enter a new era of alien world discovery. The discovery of a true Vulcan was announced in 2018, and the new exoplanet was officially named 40 Eridani A b or HD 26965 b.

But even the pioneers were a little skeptical about whether the discovery was real. The potential exoplanet signal was detected using radial velocity, a method used when an exoplanet’s orbital path does not bring it between us and the star.

Radial velocity is the result of the gravitational interaction between the star and the planet. An exoplanet doesn’t actually orbit a star; Rather, the two objects rotate around each other’s center of gravity, causing the star to move in place every minute. This is also true for our Sun, and we can detect these tiny fluctuations of distant stars as changes in starlight.

HD 26965 shows changes very similar to those we would expect from radial velocity changes caused by an exoplanet in a 42-day orbit. However, these changes may be caused by changes in the surface of the star as it rotates around its axis.

The astronomers who discovered the star could not determine the star’s rotation rate to exclude this possibility. If the rotation rate were the same as the orbital period, this would mean that the signal was specific to the star. Further research didn’t look good. A 2021 study found the signal to be a false positive. The 2022 survey was inconclusive. The 2023 survey also turned out to be a false signal.

Now, a research team led by Dartmouth College astronomer Abigail Burroughs has used a new device that measures radial velocity with a precision not available in 2018. These measurements showed that the changes in starlight coming from different layers of the star’s atmosphere are different. From changes in the combined signal.

If the changes are the result of an exoplanet, the signal should remain stable. The fact that this does not happen does not mean that the star’s wobbles are the result of internal convection combined with the star’s 42-day rotation period, as well as what is happening within the star, such as starspots and bright spots.

This could be sad news for the mostly stoic Bay. Spock from Star Trek ” is great news for science. The result proves the effectiveness of the new tools we need to sift through ambiguous detections and confidently identify their root cause.

As we move towards the era of exoplanet exploration, where we potentially expect to find more Earth-like worlds, the ability to rule out false positives is a truly powerful tool.