Astronomer Jackpot - Very Close Earth-like Neighbor
Astronomers confirmed the existence of a planet with Earth-like characteristics orbiting the star nearest to our sun. As surprisingly, the planet orbits its star, Proxima Centauri, at just the right distance for liquid water to exist on the planet's surface. Such planets are thought to be relatively rare. So the discovery of one orbiting our nearest star is shocking astronomers.
On the negative side, little more is actually known about the planet. Because of its size and position relative to Proxima Centauri, it may be tidally locked. Therefore one side of the planet may always face the star, causing it to be extremely hot, while its backside would be very cold. Astronomers also aren't sure if the planet has an atmosphere or protective radiation fields like Earth.
The short distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri means that newly proposed interstellar probes could reach it in only 20 years. Not bad considering humanity's fastest probe, New Horizons, flew from Earth to Pluto in about 9 years. An effort dubbed the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, backed by Stephen Hawking and various billionaires, plans to send a fleet of laser-propelled probes to explore our neighboring star-systems such as Proxima Centauri.
Why this news is important:
It's nearness and Earth-like qualities make this planet the number one destination for Earth's upcoming installer exploration missions.
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