In the Star Trek universe, the star 40 Eridani A hosts Spocks home planet.
Fans were elated by the discovery, comparing planet HD 26965 b to the fictional Vulcan.
Unfortunately, it seems that HD 26965 b was never really there.
Artist’s concept of a previously proposed possible planet, HD 26965 b.Illustration: JPL-Caltech
This method is especially helpful for large planets, but detecting smaller ones can be a bit tricky.
It was also thought to complete an orbit around its star in 42 days.
They found notable differences between individual wavelength measurements and the combined signal of all the measurements.
Additionally, spots and bright, active regions on the star may be affecting its radial velocity signals.
Just as the fictional planet Vulcan was destroyed in Star Trek, its real-life replica no longer exists.
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