Traveling outward from the Earth into interstellar space to our nearest neighbors, so far we’ve encountered 3 star systems--Alpha Centauri (Part 1), and Barnard’s Star and Luhman 16ab (Part 2).

Let’s continue our journey outward from our solar system with the next three stops!

As you may recall, we were in the process of taking our 20% speed-of-light spacecraft, perhaps based on the “Breakthrough Starshot” program, outward into nearby space to explore the star systems around us! It’s always a good thing to know your neighbors, and in the case of star systems, what potential for resources and chance for habitable planets they provide.

Imagine yourself a young man--a helping hand on a farm--frustrated with the day-in, day-out work. Farm work is hard. You really don’t have the build for it--your friends always call you ‘skinny’. You do have a knack for fixing the farm machinery, though, and your step-parents, who own the farm, find that a very useful thing.

Okay, so the universe is so huge there must be some intelligent life out there, Kepler is finding lots of planets relatively nearby, and Voyager 1 has found some things about interstellar space to be careful about . . .

But if we want to send probes (or even humans!!!) to nearby stars--where do we aim our spacecraft?!? Is that type of interstellar travel even remotely possible?!?

Our Galactic Neighborhood

Let's zoom in a bit this week, and focus on areas of our universe closer to home:

Exoplanets

This is a generally open thread!

During the troubling times of my life, I’ve always found a certain refuge in science and nature. Knowing that whatever idiotic pathway humans invent to tumble down and likely destroy the world, nature will always have the last laugh. I find some comfort in that. So, without further ado, here’s some science to cogitate on!

The Voyagers