The star that Erid orbits is 40 Eridani A.
You know what else orbits 40 Eridani A in fiction?
Vulcan.
So im just picturing the pre-Starfleet Vulcans knowing damn well about the Petrova line, and trying to logic out the problem years into the future for how best to solve it (bc I guarantee you not one of them thought "lets just build a big fuck off ship and travel to Tau Ceti to figure it out that would be improbable to weild significant results") and/or they might have thought they'll still get a decent amount of warmth from 40 Eridani B and C.
And while theyre hemming and hawing and logicking out the problem, their blind rock people neighbors do the exact thing theyre debating about doing. And one of them is just like "Do we know if they know about relativity? Or radiation?"
"Idk we dont really talk to them... surely they must if theyre space faring."
"Uh. Someone should maybe keep an eye on them. Just in case..."
