1. Beta Canum Venaticorum: a Sun-like star about 26 light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. This was Turnbull’s top choice for SETI.
2. HD 10307: a near replica of the Sun but with a companion star. Located about 42 light-years away, this star has almost the same mass, temperature and metal-content as the Sun.
3. HD 211415: has about half the metal content of the Sun and is a little cooler; just slightly farther away than HD 10307.
4. 18 Sco: a near-identical twin of the Sun, located in the constellation Scorpio.
5. 51 Pegasus: The first planet beyond our solar system was detected around this star in 1995. Although that planet was a gas giant, Turnbull thinks 51 Pegasus could harbor rocky planets as well.
6. Epsilon Indi A: Turnbull’s top TPF mission choice; this star is only about one-tenth as bright as the Sun and about 11.8 light-years away in the constellation Indus.
7. Epsilon Eridani: This star is a bit smaller and cooler than our Sun; it is located about 10.5 light-years away in the constellation Eridanus.
8. Omicron2 Eridani: A yellow-orange star about 16 light-years away that is roughly the same age as our Sun.
9. Alpha Centauri B: This triple star system is located just 4.35 light-years away and one of the Sun’s closest stellar neighbors.
10. Tau Ceti: This star is a G-class star and is in the same brightness category as the Sun. Despite being relatively metal-poor, it is long-lived enough for complex life forms to evolve.
Source:
- Authored by Ker Than (21 February 2006)
- Website – http://www.space.com/
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