V538 Aurigae is a K-sequence thin-disk star with high and heavy metallicity, despite its younger age of 3.76 billion years. The star has a red dwarf companion, Vys 465 (or V538 Aurigae B), with a distance of 1200 AU. 40 lightyears from Earth as the crow flies, V538 Aurigae is located in the coreward section of the Machine Sector. From Earth, it is visible in the constellation Auriga, and is among the closest stars to Earth in the constellation; because it is the closest known star in Auriga accessible via hyperspace portal routes, it is often simply called Aurigae, like its most notorious planet. The star is about 42% as luminous as Sol, and its Goldilocks Zone is consequently smaller and closer, consisting of a single rocky world within its six-planet system.
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V538 Aurigae is known for the interdicted planet V538 Aurigae c, otherwise known as the "Wraith World," "Wraith Planet," or just "Aurigae." Restricted during the Cygnus Accords in 2156, the planet may only be visited by mutual consent of the signatories and, preferably, by a scientific coalition; there is some reason to believe that the Tardek have broken this agreement more than once. The Cygnus Accords generally demand that only robots be allowed to visit the surface, because of the devastating effects of the wraiths on biological lifeforms; however, some scientific missions with biologicals have been attempted, particularly led by the Cetians in their quest to understand the wraiths.