Extrasolar planets in fiction

Star systems of planets orbiting a star other than the Sun are frequently found as locations in works of science fiction.

The thought that there might be inhabited worlds in the vicinity of other stars goes back at least to Giordano Bruno, who declared that "Innumerable suns exist; innumerable Earths revolve about these suns ... Living beings inhabit these worlds" in his De l'infinito universo e mondi ("Concerning the Infinite Universe and Worlds", 1584). Allusions to inhabitants of other star systems remained rare in literature for many centuries afterwards, however, one of the rare exceptions being Voltaire's Micromégas, which featured a traveller from Sirius.

As works of science fiction became common in the early 20th century, however, the standard destinations of Mars, Venus, and other locations in the Solar system became over-stereotyped. Ambitious authors began to invoke a variety of mechanisms for superluminal travel and placed their stories on planets around other suns, a move that gave them greater freedom to imagine a greater variety of fictional worlds. As exploration of the Solar system made it increasingly dubious that any form of extraterrestrial life existed in the Solar system, stories set in other star systems became overwhelmingly dominant.

Although some of the star systems appearing in works of science fiction are purely imaginary, many authors and artists have preferred to use the names of real star systems that are well known to astronomers, either through being notably bright in the sky as seen from Earth, or being relatively near to Earth.

List of star systems in fiction

Several of these star systems have their own articles, listed below:

Other star systems appearing in fiction are listed below:

36 Ophiuchi

In Frank Herbert's Dune universe, the planet Giedi Prime orbits 36 Ophiuchi B.

40 Eridani

In the Star Trek fictional universe, 40 Eridani A is the location of the Vulcan home planet. Although this was never stated on any TV show or film, both the authorized Star Trek book Star Trek: Star Charts and Gene Roddenberry (see [1]) give this location. In addition, Commander Tucker's statement in Star Trek: Enterprise that Vulcan is 16 light years from Earth confirms this.

61 Cygni

61 Cygni is held by many fans of Star Trek to be the home star system of the Tellarite race.
In Blake's 7, the region around 61 Cygni is the only area near Earth that has not been surveyed, since it is home to an alien race which is hostile to mankind, going so far as to release a virus on a Federation base via a piece of space debris.
61 Cygni (Foundation universe) is one of Lord Dorwin's hypothetical originary planets of the human race in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series.
61 Cygni (or 'Swan') is the sun of the planet Sky's Edge in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe.
61 Cygni A is the sun around which the planet Mesklin revolves in Hal Clement's series of short stories.
In Clifford D. Simak's novel Time and Again, 61 Cygni is a mysterious stellar system whose planets are impossible to approach.
In the 1967 book, Danny Dunn and the Voice from Space, a modulated radio signal coming from 61 Cygni turns out to be a pictogram from aliens.
A system in the outskirts of the Earth & Beyond universe.

70 Ophiuchi

In Frank Herbert's Dune series, Sikun is the third planet from 70 Ophiuchi.
In John Varley's The Ophiuchi Hotline humanity survives with the aid of a technology derived from information in the Ophiuchi Hotline, a radio signal apparently beamed from the star 70 Ophiuchi.

Alpha Ceti

Ceti Alpha V, presumably the fifth planet from Alpha Ceti, was the prison planet of Khan Noonian Singh in the Star Trek episode "Space Seed" and its big screen sequel, The Wrath of Khan.

Antares (Alpha Scorpii)

The Dray Prescot series by Kenneth Bulmer is set on a planet called Kregen orbiting Antares.
In the Star Trek universe, Antares is a class of ship. The USS Defiant was built at a shipyard in the Antares System.
A system of the Earth & Beyond universe.

Arcturus (Alpha Boötis)

In the fictionalized universe of Marvel comics, the Arcturan system is binary and has at least four planets.
Arcturus is an inhabited binary system in the 1920 novel A Voyage to Arcturus, by David Lindsay.
In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy there are several references to Arcturan species and things, presumably originating on a planet orbiting Arcturus. Examples include "Arcturan Megadonkey" and "Arcturan Megafreighter", see The Ultra-Complete Index for a more extensive list.
Isaac Asimov's The Foundation Series has Arcturus as the capital of the Sirius Sector in the Galactic Empire.
In the movie Aliens, Arcturus is identified as a planet the space marines visited for a furlough and pursued poontang where it apparently didn't matter if the other party were a male or female native of the Arcturan system.

Barnard's star

In Jack Williamson's The Legion of Space, Barnard's star is home to the ancient and dreadful race of the Medusae.
In Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Barnard's star is a way station for interstellar travellers.
In Michael Moorcock's The Black Corridor, Barnard's Star is the destination for a group of people fleeing from social breakdown on Earth.
In David Braben's computer game Frontier, Barnard's star is an important Federation industrial system with heavy mining and refining industry close to Earth and the other Core Systems. It proved to be the ideal beginners trading place—no pirates and high profits, exporting robots or computers to Sol and importing Luxury Goods from there could make you a millionaire in no time at all.
In Arthur C. Clarke's and Gentry Lee's The Garden of Rama, in Barnard's star there is a way station for the arriving and departing massive cylindrical world ships.

Beta Aurigae

Beta Aurigae has been mentioned in Star Trek, where the final episode "Turnabout Intruder" had the crew en route to this system to study the two large binary components.

Beta Lyrae

In the Star Trek fictional universe, Sheliak (Beta Lyrae) is the home system of an alien race with the same name; they view humans as inferior (Star Trek: The Next Generation: "The Ensigns of Command").
In the computer games Frontier: Elite 2 and Frontier: First Encounters, Beta Lyrae is one of the few hand-coded systems. It has an unusual property: If the system is entered, the game crashes as a result of the code being unable to handle the mechanics of a 'contact' binary. This can not be observed however, without manipulating the game in some way, as Beta Lyrae is so distant from the core systems.
Larry Niven uses Beta Lyrae as the setting for his short story "The Soft Weapon", where humans and Kzinti dispute the ownership of a slaver stasis box.

Canopus (Alpha Carinae)

In Frank Herbert's Dune series, the titular planet, Arrakis, is the third planet from Canopus.
In Edmond Hamilton's "Star Kings" and "Return to the stars" Canopus is a capital of Middle Galactical Empire.
Doris Lessing, in her Canopus in Argos books describes a civilization of benevolent beings based in Canopus and playing a part in human history. The main work and the main description of the Canopans is Shikasta.
In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before", it is mentioned that a sonnet called "Nightingale Woman" was written in 1996 by Tarbolde of Canopus.
In an episode of Time Tunnel, the time travelers were transported to a planet orbiting Canopus to rescue Ann macGregor, whose abductor left behind a metallic computer card that would provide the coordinates.

Capella (Alpha Aurigae)

In the fictional Marvel Universe, the alien Badoon are natives of Capella II.
In the computer game FreeSpace 2, Capella is one of the core systems of the Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance and is home to over 300 million Terrans. It is invaded by Shivan forces, and the star itself is destroyed.
The Star Trek episode "Friday's Child" is set on planet Capella IV.
A system of the Earth & Beyond universe.

Delta Pavonis

In Frank Herbert's Dune universe, the planet Caladan is the third world of the Delta Pavonis system.
In the novel Revelation Space from Alastair Reynolds the planet Resurgam and the neutron star Hades are part of the Delta Pavonis system.

Deneb (Alpha Cygni)

In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before", Captain Kirk and Gary Mitchell briefly mention a night Mitchell spent on Deneb IV. Mitchell describes the Denebian woman involved as "a nova". Mitchell's medical record mentions that the inhabitants of Deneb IV are telepathic.
In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Trouble With Tribbles", Korax describes Captain Kirk as being a Denebian slime devil.
Deneb IV is also mentioned in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Encounter at Farpoint".
Deneb is the home of Jeff Raven in the Talents series of books (The Rowan, Damia, Damia's Children, Lyon's Pride, The Tower and the Hive) by Anne McCaffrey. The planet is the first human planet in the series to be attacked by the bug-like Hive.
Deneb is also the location of a major battle in the computer game FreeSpace 2 between the Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance and the Neo-Terran Front during the late 24th century.
Denebian characters and events are part of the Isaac Asimov universe, e.g. in the short stories The Machine that Won the War, and The Feeling of Power.
Deneb is also the name of the witch from Zenobia in the Ogre Battle video game series. She is a magical alchemist of sorts, using her arcane knowledge and power to create the demihuman race of Pumpkinheads. She has the distinction of being the only character to appear in every Ogre Battle title to date. She is one of many characters in the game who is named after a star.
A system in the outskirts of the Earth & Beyond universe.

Epsilon Indi

Epsilon Indi is held by many Star Trek fans to be the home star system of the Andorian race. The star system also made an appearance in the original Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead", where Epsilon Indi was the home star system to an evil energy being known as "Gorgan". Another mention of the star occurs in Star Trek NG episode, "The Child", 11/88, by Wesley Crusher, while wistfully looking out the 10 Forward view screen.
In the Worldwar books by Harry Turtledove, Epsilon Indi is one of the subject star systems ("Halless") of the alien race.
In the television show Space: Above and Beyond the site of the Tellus colony was in the Epsilon Indi system.
In Larry Niven's Known Space stories, the most Earthlike planet among the human colony worlds (appropriately named "Home" by the colonists) orbited Epsilon Indi.

Epsilon Ursae Majoris

In the Japanese anime Saint Seiya, Alioth Epsilon is the "robe" (armor) of the God Warrior of Asgard, Fenrir. It resembles Fenrir, the wolf.

Eta Cassiopeiae

In the Star Trek science fiction franchise, the planet Terra Nova, also known as Eta Cassiopeia III (sic), is located in the Eta Cassiopeiae system.

Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrini)

Fomalhaut is the star whose second planet provides the name for Ursula K. Le Guin's novel Rocannon's World.
Fomalhaut 3 is the homeworld of the Dorsai, a group featured in a large body of work initially created by the author Gordon R. Dickson.
It is the location of a major space station, Alverez Station, in orbit about the planet Fomalhaut V (called America by the colonists) in the science fiction Roleplaying game FTL:2448 by Tri Tac Games.
Fomalhaut is one of the stars mentioned in the Cthulhu Mythos, the home of the god Cthugha.

Gamma Andromedae

In the Foundation novels by Isaac Asimov, the star Gamma Andromedae is a populated star system, Gamma Andromeda.

Gamma Aquilae

Gamma Aquilae, also known as Tarazed, is a capital of the New Systems Commonwealth in the Andromeda TV series.

Gamma Draconis

Despite being an unpopulated star system in the computer game FreeSpace 2, Gamma Draconis plays a central role in the Galactic-Terran Vasudan Alliance's second war against the xenophobic Shivans.
Gamma Draconis is the Elerian home-system in the PC strategy game Master of Orion II.
The action of Ursula K. Le Guin's novel Planet of Exile takes place on a planet orbiting Gamma Draconis.

Gamma Ursae Majoris

The star Phekda appears in Frontier: Elite 2 and Frontier: First Encounters in the northern territories, and is a notoriously dangerous anarchy system swarming with pirates and freebooters.
Also, in Roger Zelazny's Doorways in the Sand, Phecda along with the other of the dipper's stars were mentioned during the protagonists jaunts atop the steeples of Old Europe.
In the Japanese anime Saint Seiya, Pecdha Gamma is the "robe" (armor) of the God Warrior of Asgard, Thor. It resembles Jörmungandr, the serpent.

Groombridge 34

In Space: Above and Beyond, Groombridge 34 is the location of the largest extrasolar USMC fleet base, and is the expected target of the chigs in the pilot episode (though this intelligence is later revealed to be incorrect). It is also the location of the first part of the episode "Mutiny".

Lalande 21185

Featured in Civilization II: Test of Time.
Was the sun of the planet Ormazd in L. Sprague de Camp's novel Rogue Queen.
Was renamed Ra in Gregory Benford's novel Across the Sea of Suns.
In Star Corps by Ian Douglas, one of Lalande 21185's gas giants has an Earth-like moon where an alien race holds humans in slavery, resulting in a force of US Marines being sent in 2148 to free them.
Title of Janusz A. Zajdel novel.

Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris)

In DC Comics, Polaris is the star around which Thanagar, home planet of the Hawks, orbits.
The Polaris are also a faction in Ambrosia Software's Escape Velocity Nova.
In the computer game FreeSpace 2, Polaris is the capital system of the Neo-Terran Front during their rebellion against the Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance.
In the early Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode "Camera Bugged," the Polarisoids are described as the most obnoxious tourists in the entire galaxy, as their cameras can actually suck up landmarks to take back home.

Proxima Centauri

In the PS2 and Xbox game, Destroy All Humans!, the planet Gorta is located in the Proxima Centauri system.
In one episode of the television show Futurama, a sign is shown floating in space that reads, "PLUTO - Last restroom before Proxima Centauri".

Regulus (Alpha Leonis)

In the Star Trek universe, Regulus is under the control of the Vulcans.
In the computer game FreeSpace 2, Regulus is considered to be the greatest stronghold of the Neo-Terran Front during their rebellion against the Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance.

Ross 154

In the computer game Frontier: Elite 2, one of the planets you could choose to start the game from was an ice world similar to Europa, satellite to gas giant in orbit around Ross 154. This planet was named Merlin and its primary export was fish, harvested from the liquid ocean that existed below the icy crust. Importing luxury goods from Sol was a profitable enterprise.

Sigma Draconis

In David Weber's books about Honor Harrington, the Sigma Draconis system includes the technologically advanced planet Beowulf, adjacent to a wormhole. See Sigma Draconis (Honorverse).
In the Star Trek episode "Spock's Brain", established knowledge is that planets III, IV and VI are all Class M, capable of supporting human life, but III and IV are still incapable of space flight, while VI is in ice age; a visit to VI reveals that the planet once supported a very high technology civilization.

Van Maanen's star

In David Braben's computer game Frontier, the Van Maanen's Star system is the home of a radical religious sect that believes in suffering as the key to salvation. Mining is done without machines, and any surplus money that is not needed to satisfy basic requirements like oxygen, food and water is burned in a sacred ceremony. The system is only accessible with a special permit.
In Larry Niven's 1976 novel A World Out of Time, Van Maanen's Star is the first target intended for protagonist Jerome Corbell's terraforming loop.

Wolf 359

Wolf 359 is the name of an episode of The Outer Limits television show, originally broadcast 7 November 1964.
Wolf 359 is an industrial and mining colony in the computer game Frontier: Elite 2.
In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Battle of Wolf 359 is a pivotal confrontation between the United Federation of Planets and the Borg in 2367.
Wolf 359 is mentioned in the British version of Invaders from Mars (1953).
Wolf 359 is repeatedly mentioned as a candidate for terraforming in There Will Be Dragons.
Wolf 359 is the location of the planet "New England" in the game Escape Velocity Nova.

Zeta Reticuli

The events in the science fiction/horror films Alien and Aliens are mostly located on a fictitious moon called Acheron, which is located in the Zeta² Reticuli system.
In the television show Space: Above and Beyond the home system of the Chigs is Zeta Reticuli and is the location of celestial body 2063F (the Chigs homeworld), 2064K codenamed "Anvil" (2064F's moon), 2064R and Ixion.
Zeta Reticuli is the location of the homeworld of the Grey-like Arilou in the Star Control series of computer games.
Location of the star system map Betty Hill drew under hypnosis that she allegedly got from Grey aliens during her and her husband, Barnie's, abduction. These greys are now referred to as "Zetans".