Nestled in the twinkling Centaurus constellation, a little planet called Proxima b is making quite the impact on us Earthlings. This week, its discovery made headlines thanks to the planet’s similarities to Earth, with some scientists even speculating that it is our best option yet for discovering life outside of our solar system.

Located in what scientists call the “Goldilocks zone”—the potentially habitable band of space where liquid water could exist—Proxima b has roughly the same mass as our own sun-circling rock. We don’t know yet if it has other conditions that contributed to the evolution of life on Earth, but the possibilities for study and exploration are pretty thrilling.

At this point, it’s unlikely we’ll reach Proxima b in our lifetime, or even our grandchildren’s grandchildren’s lifetimes. But the discovery of Proxima b, the out-of-reach planet parallel in so many ways to our own, is a refreshing reminder of scale. All we are is spacedust in the wind.

If you need us, we’ll be stargazing with Zak. ✌

Nestled in the twinkling Centaurus constellation, a little planet called Proxima b is making quite the impact on us Earthlings. This week, its discovery made headlines thanks to the planet’s similarities to Earth, with some scientists even speculating that it is our best option yet for discovering life outside of our solar system.

Located in what scientists call the “Goldilocks zone”—the potentially habitable band of space where liquid water could exist—Proxima b has roughly the same mass as our own sun-circling rock. We don’t know yet if it has other conditions that contributed to the evolution of life on Earth, but the possibilities for study and exploration are pretty thrilling.

At this point, it’s unlikely we’ll reach Proxima b in our lifetime, or even our grandchildren’s grandchildren’s lifetimes. But the discovery of Proxima b, the out-of-reach planet parallel in so many ways to our own, is a refreshing reminder of scale. All we are is spacedust in the wind.

If you need us, we’ll be stargazing with Zak. ✌