Tau Ceti is a star in the constellation Cetus that is similar to the Sun in mass and spectral type. At a distance of just under 12 light years from the Solar System, it is a relatively close star. Tau Ceti is metal-deficient and so is thought to be less likely to host rocky planets. Observations have detected more than 10 times as much dust surrounding Tau Ceti as is present in the Solar System. The star appears stable, with little stellar variation. Astrometric or radial velocity measurements have not yet detected companions around Tau Ceti, but given current search refinement, this only excludes substellar companions such as large brown dwarfs. Because of its debris disk, any planet orbiting Tau Ceti would face far more impact events than the Earth. Despite this hurdle to habitability, its solar analog characteristics have led to widespread interest in the star. Given its stability and similarity to the Sun, Tau Ceti is consistently listed as a target for the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, and it appears in some science fiction literature. Unlike other prominent stars, Tau Ceti does not have a widely recognized traditional name. It can be seen with the unaided eye as a faint third-magnitude star.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tau_Ceti

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

306:

Roman Herculian guard Adrian of Nicomedia, who had converted to Christianity after being impressed with the faith of Christians that he had been torturing, was martyred. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_and_Natalia_of_Nicomedia

1386:

Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila was crowned Władysław II Jagiełło , King of Poland, beginning the Jagiellon dynasty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogaila

1899:

Cyclone Mahina struck Bathurst Bay, Queensland, killing over 400 people, the deadliest natural disaster in Australian history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahina_Cyclone_of_1899

1918:

The first known case of the so-called Spanish flu was first observed at Fort Riley, Kansas, US. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic

1980:

Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union was elected to head the first government in Zimbabwe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mugabe

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

obliquity (n): The quality of being oblique in direction, deviating from the horizontal or vertical; {{n-g http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/obliquity

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I honor my importance and the importance of others. None of us is dispensable, none of us is replacable. In the chorus of life each of us brings a True Note, a perfect pitch that adds to the harmony of the whole. I act creatively and consciously to actively endorse and encourage the expansion of those whose lives I touch. Believing in the goodness of each, I add to the goodness of all. We bless each other even in passing. --Julia Cameron http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julia_Cameron