Astronomer pinpoints Superman's home planet location

Thanks to a prominent astronomer, we mortals now have an idea where Krypton, the fictional home planet of Superman, one of the world's most well-known superheroes, would be located if it were in the real universe.

 

Neil deGrasse Tyson estimates Krypton to be 27.1 light-years from Earth, in the southern constellation Corvus (The Crow), Space.com reported.

 

Tyson, director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York City, helped DC Comics, which publishes the "Superman" comics, find the most plausible star to be the host of Krypton. DC is running a story on Superman's search for his home planet.

 

Following Tyson's estimates, Krypton would orbit the red dwarf star LHS 2520, which is cooler and smaller than our sun.

 

"As a native of Metropolis, I was delighted to help Superman, who has done so much for my city over all these years. And it’s clear that if he weren’t a superhero he would have made quite an astrophysicist," Tyson was quoted in Space.com as saying.

 

DC's new book, Action Comics Superman #14, is titled "Star Light, Star Bright" and comes out Wednesday, Nov. 7.

 

Tyson makes an appearance in the book, aiding the Man of Steel on his quest.

 

"This is a major milestone in the Superman mythos that gives our super hero a place in the universe," DC Entertainment co-publisher Dan DiDio said in a statement.

 

"Having Neil deGrasse Tyson in the book was one thing, but by applying real-world science to this story he has forever changed Superman’s place in history. Now fans will be able to look up at the night’s sky and say, 'That’s where Superman was born,'" he added.

 

Space.com said amateur astronomers who want to spot the real star LHS 2520 in the night sky, can get its coordinates at:

 

Right Ascension: 12 hours 10 minutes 5.77 seconds

Declination:  -15 degrees 4 minutes 17.9 seconds

Proper Motion: 0.76 arcseconds per year, along 172.94 degrees from due north

 

Superman's origins

 

Superman was born on Krytpon and launched toward Earth as an infant by his father, Jor-El, just before the planet was destroyed.

 

His ship touched down in Kansas, where he was found and raised as Clark Kent by farmer Jonathan Kent and his wife Martha. — TJD, GMA News