exoplanets in science fiction has evolved since the discovery of the first real exoplanet around a sun-like star in 1995, reflecting real scientific discoveries.
Science Fiction has evolved since the discovery of the first real exoplanet around a sun-like star in 1995. Prior to this discovery, science fiction narratives often featured grand galactic empires, strange alien creatures, and numerous habitable planets. However, with the discovery of 51 Pegasi b in 1995, the first known exoplanet around a sun-like star, we no longer had to rely solely on science fiction to imagine other planetary systems.
The study, conducted by Emma Puranen, Emily Finer, Christiane Helling, and V. Anne Smith, explored how science fiction has changed to reflect these discoveries and how it can be used as a tool for communicating science. The researchers compiled a database of 142 fictional planets, roughly split half and half before and after the 1995 discovery of 51 Pegasi b. They then characterized each fictional planet according to nine variables and applied a Bayesian network to these variables to identify trends.
The study found that after the discovery of real exoplanets, there were fewer fictional exoplanets that hosted native intelligent life. This reflects what real exoplanet and astrobiology science is telling us: the vast majority of exoplanets discovered by astronomers are not habitable, at least not to life as we know it. Furthermore, the study noticed a decrease in established non-native humans on fictional exoplanets since 1995, which might be due to increased awareness of the harms of colonization.
Despite these changes, the researchers believe that science fiction can be a powerful tool for science communication, especially in the field of exoplanets and habitability. However, they caution that it should be used carefully. While science fiction can inspire and open minds to various possibilities, it can also give completely wrong ideas about things. For instance, the population of science-fiction exoplanets will always be different from the population of real, discovered exoplanets, because the science fiction ones are constructed to serve a narrative purpose.
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