The idea of a counter-Earth has never been a serious scientific hypothesis in modern times. The planet Vulcan in the Star Trek franchise, for instance, is specified as orbiting 40 Eridani A.Ĭounter-Earth was a hypothetical planet sharing an orbit with Earth, but on the opposite side of the Sun (and hence always invisible from Earth).
The name "Vulcan" has been used for various other fictional planets, in and out of the Solar System, that do not correspond to the hypothetical planet Vulcan. Script directions refer to 'the Plutovian night', suggesting that the story was originally set on Pluto, or that Vulcan was in a similar orbit to Pluto, at the edge of the solar system. Vulcan appears to be one of Earth's first colonies, set up by 2020 AD according to publicity, but it is unclear if it is in a nearby solar system, or if Vulcan is in the Solar System. Set on an Earth colony on Vulcan in the early 21st century, a world covered with swamps.
The Power of the Daleks (1966), serial in the Doctor Who TV series.Since the spot is between them and the Sun and appears to be moving to the naked eye, it can only be the previously-hypothetical Vulcan it must be moving rapidly and extremely close to the Sun. During the return of the first manned flight to Mercury, a crew member notices a dark spot moving across the Sun. Mission to Mercury (1965), science fiction novel by Hugh Walters.In Outlaw World (1946) it is discovered that it is hollow and inhabited inside. The Vulcan is part of the Solar System in the Captain Future series."At the Center of Gravity" ( Astounding Stories, June 1936), short story by Ross Rocklynne: two individuals are trapped inside a hollow Vulcan."Vulcan's Workshop" ( Astounding Stories, June 1932), short story by Harl Vincent: a penal colony is located on Vulcan.The planet was proposed as a hypothesis in 1859, and abandoned not later than 1915. Vulcan was a hypothetical planet supposed to revolve around the Sun inside the orbit of Mercury, invoked to explain certain irregularities in Mercury's orbit. Main article: Vulcan (hypothetical planet) Other non-existent Solar System objects used in fiction have been proposed or hypothesized by persons with no scientific standing, while yet others are purely fictional and were never intended as serious hypotheses about the structure of the Solar System. Often such objects continued to be used in literature long after the hypotheses upon which they were based had been abandoned. Some of these objects were, at one time, seriously considered as hypothetical planets which were either thought to have been observed, or were hypothesized in order to explain certain celestial phenomena. The fictional portrayal of our Solar System has often included planets, moons, and other celestial objects which do not actually exist in reality. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. 1.6 Elsewhere in the Solar Systemįictional planets of the Solar System.1 Fictional planets of the Solar System.