Izar (Epsilon Bootis) -- Double Star in Bootes
Izar – Home of the Black Knight Satellite
As reported in Time Magazine on April 9, 1973 "Message from a Star" a Scottish astronomer
finally was able to interpret a message first found by two Norwegian physicists in the 1920s.
The message was a welcoming communication sent to us by an alien planet that belonged to
the star-system Epsilon Bootis. They had sent a satellite that covered the 203 light-years
between Earth and their planet and placed it in a polar orbit around Earth. The alien satellite
had been transmitting its welcoming message since it started orbiting Earth 13,000 years ago.
It was named the Black Knight Satellite.
This story has long since been retracted. The Black Knight Satellite never existed – but it does
show how easy many were/are willing to believe that we are not alone in the Universe.
Epsilon Bootis goes by the common name Izar. One thing is for sure, Izar is the finest
double-star in the Constellation of the Herdsman (Bootes). With a separation of only 2.8
arcseconds it requires a steady atmosphere and high-power to separate. But the bright
yellow-orange of the primary and the blue of the secondary make for a striking pair and well
worth the trouble to split.
I have no idea if a friendly intelligent species exists on a planet orbiting the binary star system
Izar; as highly-unlikely as it is, I kind of like to think they do. It would be cool to live on a planet
that not only had a big orange-yellow sun in the sky but a smaller blue sun as its companion.
finally was able to interpret a message first found by two Norwegian physicists in the 1920s.
The message was a welcoming communication sent to us by an alien planet that belonged to
the star-system Epsilon Bootis. They had sent a satellite that covered the 203 light-years
between Earth and their planet and placed it in a polar orbit around Earth. The alien satellite
had been transmitting its welcoming message since it started orbiting Earth 13,000 years ago.
It was named the Black Knight Satellite.
This story has long since been retracted. The Black Knight Satellite never existed – but it does
show how easy many were/are willing to believe that we are not alone in the Universe.
Epsilon Bootis goes by the common name Izar. One thing is for sure, Izar is the finest
double-star in the Constellation of the Herdsman (Bootes). With a separation of only 2.8
arcseconds it requires a steady atmosphere and high-power to separate. But the bright
yellow-orange of the primary and the blue of the secondary make for a striking pair and well
worth the trouble to split.
I have no idea if a friendly intelligent species exists on a planet orbiting the binary star system
Izar; as highly-unlikely as it is, I kind of like to think they do. It would be cool to live on a planet
that not only had a big orange-yellow sun in the sky but a smaller blue sun as its companion.