Epsilon Eridani is a star in the southern constellation of Eridanus, at a declination of 9.46° south of the celestial equator. This allows it to be visible from most of Earth's surface. At a distance of 10.5 light-years (3.2 parsecs) from the Sun, it has an apparent magnitude of 3.73. It is the third-closest individual star or star system visible to the unaided eye and is the second-closest star known to host a planet.[1]
Background[]
The planet Epsilon Eridani b, known as Vesta, orbits Epsilon Eridani with a period of about 7 years at a mean distance of 3.4 astronomical units (AU).
The Epsilon Eridani system also includes two belts of rocky asteroids at about 3 AU and 20 AU from the star. The system also hosts an extensive outer debris disk of remnant planetesimals left over from the system's formation.[2]
The Epsilon Eridani system was selected as the first location for an Earth colony.[3][4]