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How to find a real-life Krypton, Superman's home planet

Could the fact that astronomers have yet to find a planet matching the Man of Steel's origin story be the reason he's so moody and peeved at Batman?

Eric Mack Contributing Editor
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Eric Mack

This week's release of "Batman v. Superman" has renewed interest in searching the cosmos for a real-life planet similar to Superman's comic book home planet, Krypton.

Back in 2012, none other than astrophysicist and eminent nerd celebrity Neil DeGrasse Tyson appeared in an issue of DC Comics to declare that the star LHS 2520 matches the description of the star in Krypton's home system, as described by the comics. Physicist Martin Archer from Queen Mary University of London says that while we've yet to locate a rocky planet like Krypton orbiting LHS 2520, that doesn't mean it isn't there...or perhaps around another red dwarf star.

In the below video, Archer breaks down some of the ongoing searches for exoplanets and what they mean for the quest for a real Krypton. Of course, the absence of a planet around LHS 2520 could be explained by the history put forth in the DC Comics series in which Superman's home was blown apart in a nuclear chain reaction.