Centauri-Beta

Centauri-Beta was a habitable planet twenty-six light-years away from Earth. It was known to human scientists in the 2060s.

Description
Centauri-Beta had pink skies and golden light, and a cool and still atmosphere through which constellations of stars were visible during the day. In at least one region, it had sweeping valleys bordered by tall rocky crags.

Long meadowy grass was found all over the ground on Centauri-Beta. At high altitude, the grass emitted pheromones which could be intoxicating to humans.

History
In 2070, after designating Centauri-Beta as a potential “new Earth”, humans sought to colonise the planet. This occurred early on in the Unified Earth era, a time of planetary unification which followed a great war. During this time, the colony ship Heart set out to reach Centauri-Beta. This mission became a symbol of hope for all of humanity, and the launch was watched by nearly everyone on Earth. However, this mission was doomed to fail since the technology humans possessed at the time was insufficient to make the journey safe. However, project Heart was allowed to continue, with the ship’s inevitable disintegration being explained as a “hyperdrive” transporting the ship and crew far away from the Earth in a split-second.

After rescuing Danielle from the Heart, the Tenth Doctor took her to Centauri-Beta, where the pair admired the views and looked up at the stars. (PROSE: Total Eclipse of the Heart)