placing worlds in Star Trek with what we know...
So, with all the new scientific information in the field of Astronomy that has emerged in the past two years I figured I might be able to come up with plausible locations of where the planets Tellerite, Andoria and Vulcan are.
Of course we already know where Vulcan is, 40 Eridani. It is supposed to orbit the first star in the three star system located 16 light years from Earth. The shows, all of them seem to support this location as the light on Vulcan in the shows has an Orange hue and 40 Eridani-A is an Orange-red main sequence Dwarf similiar to our sun...just orange and with about a quarter less mass. It is possible that a M-Class planet could actually exist there according to Astronomers. Trip even refers to this in Enterprise when he tells T'pol that she dragged him 16 light years to watch her get married. Fair enough.
Result: Vulcan lies in 40 Eridani, if it is good enough for Gene Roddenberry it is good enough for me.
Andoria is a different animal, it was established in Enterprise that Andoria is actually a moon that is orbiting a gas giant. Also, it has been said that Vulcan and Andoria are close to each other which lead to conflict. So we can assume from this that Andoria is not 274 Light Years from Earth as per the "Among the Clans" book put out by LUG. Such a distance would seem excessive considering the low warps speeds of early Starfleet ships and the fact that Andoria has been established as one of the founding members of the UFP.
So we can narrow down options for systems using the location of Sol and the location of 40 Eridani. it is reasonable to assume that Andoria lies in a system a few light years past Vulcan since they seem to have been encountered only after the Vulcans and that 40 Eridani seems to lie between Sol and the unnamed Andorian System.
With what we know this may place Andoria in the Epsilon Eridani system 6.4 light years from Vulcan, and I personally find this the most likely candidate. Like 40 Eridani, Epsilon Eridani is an Orange-red main sequence Dwarf with about .65 of our sun's mass. Astronomers have discovered three large planets orbiting the star, planets which are greater in mass then Jupiter. This could explain why Andoria, a moon, is able to support life. If any planets were located within the habitable zone of the Epsilon Eridani they would likely be pulled out of orbit by the closeness of the first gas giant in the system. However, since Andoria is a moon it may draw some of its warmth from the large planet it orbits. A gas giant that would have to provide a sufficient amount of mass to produce heat to sustain life but not be far enough away from that solar system's star to render the moon uninhabitable. With enough energy from the gas giant and the star itself, maybe...just maybe...A moon orbiting the closest gas giant (which would need to maintain an elliptical orbit) is plausable. The elliptical orbit of the gas giant (Andor) would be essential for life on Andoria, as the planet would draw nearer the star it would take in heat, which could be stored in the atmoshere...there is a term for this but I can't remeber what it is.
Result: Andoria is located in Epsilon Eridani, orbiting the first gas giant in the system.
This leaves Tellar the home of the aptly named Tellarites, everyone's favorite party guests. From dialougue in Enterprise it can be assumed that Teller lies nearer Andoria then it does to Vulcan but further away from Sol then either Earth or Vulcan. It can also be assumed that Tellar is further from Andoria then Andoria is to Vulcan which means that Teller would need to be in a star sytem more than 6.4 light years from Andoria.
This could meant that the four systems could form a three dimensional rectangular shape if a person were to be looking at a map and decided to draw a line connecting each system.
The reasoning behind Enterprise encountering the Andorians then the Tellarites could be seen as evidence of this, it could also be seen that there was little dialougue concerning conflict between the Vulcans and the tellarites.
In my opinion Sigma Draconis could be a possible candidtate for Tellar's location. 18.8 light years from Sol and is also a main sequence orange-red dwarf star where a habitable planet could plausably be located. With what little information I have about the Tellarites home system I feel it is not unreasonable to place Sigma Draconis as a prime candidate for the home system of the Tellarites.
Result: Possible, Sigma Draconis seems to fit the criteria but there is much speculation.
If it can be assumed that the colony on Alpha Centauri 4.2 light years away from Sol is the fifth founding member of the UFP, that would put all five members within the same sector Not entirely unreasonable. A sector which although I don't recall ever being mentioned specifically has been assumed to be a cube with sides measuring 50 light years, it could also be a cube with an area of 50 light years...not sure which.
Proximity would probably be the most reasonable explanation for the founding members to form a mutually appealing treaty to begin with.
Thought and comments and further information is welcome.
