Earth-ish (?) Planet Discovered Orbiting Proxima Centauri, Our Sun's Nearest Neighbor

Practically just up the street like a 7-11!

The star closest to the sun hosts a planet that may be very much like Earth, a new study reports.

Astronomers have discovered a roughly Earth-size alien world around Proxima Centauri, which lies just 4.2 light-years from our own solar system. What's even more exciting, study team members said, is that the planet, known as Proxima b, circles in the star's "habitable zone" — the range of distances at which liquid water could be stable on a world's surface.

I like how they put "habitable zone" in quotes as if it's this term of art you have to be alerted to. Like if they just said "It's in the habitable zone," no quotes, you would be missing out on some nuance.

Anyway.

Don't worry -- this affords us no hope at all. Microscopic black holes capable of incredible destructive force may be zipping around the universe like invisible million ton bullets.

posted by Ace at 06:42 PM

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