47 Uma B was discovered in 1996, a gas planet orbiting the type GO star 47 Ursae Majoris, forty-six light-years from Earth.
What made this planet so interesting was that its orbit lay just beyond what had been coined the ‘habitable zone,’ the approximate distance away from its primary enabling it to sustain life. With the discovery of 47 Uma C, humankind had evidence of a solar system that closely resembled Earth’s.
When it was also discovered that 47 Uma B had it’s own satellite system, it was theorised infrared radiation reflected from the giant gas could possibly render one or two of these moons capable of supporting human life.
Public interest in the Ursae Majoris system was high, and the planets in the system were eventually given proper names, which saw the scientists draw influence from Native American mythology. 47 Uma B became Bear, and it’s satellites Dog, Hawk, Eagle, Snake and Goat. The fourth moon, the one most likely to sustain human life, was names Coyote.
