Tau Ceti is the 2nd Interstellar Object and the 2nd Main Sequence Star obtained in The Beyond Bubble Universe, which can generate Stardust. (Unlocked at Rank 18, branching off of Barnard's Star)
In-Game Description[]
"About 12 light years from Earth, Tau Ceti is a sunlike star of medium size and mass in the main sequence. Like the Sun, it’s a solitary yellow dwarf, and it even has at least four earthlike planets in orbit. About one in 10 Milky Way stars are yellow dwarfs."
Traits[]
Common[]
- Yellow Dwarf (Speed):
"Why is Tau Ceti yellow? Surface temperature. The main sequence ranges from cool red dwarfs to warm yellow dwarfs to scorching hot blue stars. The more mass, the hotter the burn. Red dwarfs are a tenth of the mass of yellow ones, which are lighter than blue stars."
- Birthing Planets (Payout):
"Main sequence stars allow for the birth of planets because, in this longest phase of their lives, they burn steadily. Without chaotic outbursts, nearby matter can cool, and chunks can clump together. In time, planets form and settle into orbital routines."
Rare[]
- Main Sequence (Payout):
"Protostars enter the main sequence as newborn stars when heat and pressure in the hydrogen core ignite nuclear fusion. Their mass—how much matter they contain—dictates their size, color and temperature, brightness, lifespan, and the manner of their old age and death."
Epic[]
- Cosmology (Speed):
"The scientific study of the universe asks the very biggest questions. How did it form? What came before? How does it work? Is it infinite? Will it die? All the pieces we observe—comets, moons, planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and even voids—provide some answers."
- Dark Matter (Payout):
"Dark matter acts like a superhero. It’s everywhere in space and yet invisible. Its gravity distorts huge objects that we can see. It can even buttress a dwarf galaxy against annihilation by a giant one. The duo of dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the universe."
- Dark Energy (Discount):
"Little is known about dark energy, except that it’s repulsive. Opposing gravity, this strange force causes matter to scatter rather than attract, pushing our universe to expand faster and faster. Dark energy makes up 68% of the universe’s mass-energy density."
Constellations[]
- Eridanus (1.5x Speed):
"Eridanus, The River, is the longest constellation in the sky. It starts near Rigel and twists and turns all the way to its brightest star, Achernar (“River’s End” in Arabic). It was named after Eridu, an early Sumerian city in the marshes of what is now southern Iraq."
- Ursa Major (2x Speed):
"Ursa Major, the “Great Bear,” is the largest constellation in the Northern Hemisphere, rotating nightly around Polaris, the North Star. The seven stars of the Big Dipper form its tail and back. Merak and Dubhe point the way to Polaris in the Little Dipper."
Astronomy Mission[]
Tau Ceti's Astronomy Mission are the planets orbiting around it, titled Exoplanets.
Exoplanets[]
Reduce Tau Ceti cost by up to x10 at Rank 9.
| Name | Duration(hh: mm: ss) | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Exoplanets I | 00:05:00 | Tau Ceti discount x2 |
| Exoplanets II | 00:15:00 | Tau Ceti discount x3 |
| Exoplanets III | 00:50:00 | Tau Ceti discount x4 |
| Exoplanets IV | 02:10:00 | Tau Ceti discount x5 |
| Exoplanets V | 04:40:00 | Tau Ceti discount x6 |
| Exoplanets VI | 08:50:00 | Tau Ceti discount x7 |
| Exoplanets VII | 15:20:00 | Tau Ceti discount x8 |
| Exoplanets VIII | 24:10:00 | Tau Ceti discount x9 |
| Exoplanets IX | 36:30:00 | Tau Ceti discount x10 |
System Components[]
Star[]
Tau Ceti (τ Ceti) is a spectral type G8V star, located in the southern constellation of Cetus 11.9 light years away from the Sun.
Planets[]
"Four confirmed planets orbiting Tau Ceti—Tau Ceti e, f, g, and h—are super-Earths, ranging from about 1.73 to 3.93 times the mass of Earth. Tau Ceti g is so close to its star that it orbits in just 20 days, while Tau Ceti f takes 1.7 years to make the journey."
Note: The order of the exoplanets is not entirely correct in the game, however below it is.
Tau Ceti G[]
Tau Ceti G is a super-Earth exoplanet. Its mass is 1.75 Earths, it takes 20 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.133 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2017.[1]
Tau Ceti H[]
Tau Ceti H is a super-Earth exoplanet. Its mass is 1.83 Earths, it takes 49.4 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.243 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2017.[2]
Tau Ceti E[]
Tau Ceti E is a super-Earth exoplanet. Its mass is 3.93 Earths, it takes 162.9 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.538 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2017.[3] The planet was also the intended destination for the Aratrum in the 2018 Science Fiction film Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters.
Tau Ceti F[]
Tau Ceti F is a super-Earth exoplanet. Its mass is 3.93 Earths, it takes 1.7 years to complete one orbit of its star, and is 1.334 AU from its star. Its discovery was announced in 2017.[4]
Achievements[]
- Star Names, Decoded (Rank 3):
"The name Tau Ceti follows a system called the Bayer designation. It pairs a Greek letter (tau) with the star’s constellation (Cetus, the sea monster). Letters are assigned in order of apparent magnitude from bright to dim. Tau is the 19th letter of the alphabet."
- Pop Culture Icon (Rank 6):
"From Godzilla to Star Trek, look for Tau Ceti on screen and in novels, often as host to imagined planets. This nearby star system is a prime destination for fictional generation ships in which Earthlings travel to a new home, but only their descendants arrive."
Image[]
.jpg "Tau Ceti (Space Engine).jpg (258 KB)")
References[]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetus - Image used for constellation
