The Search for other Habitable Planets for Humans… Our Options in the Solar System Aren’t Good

@COASTTOCOASTAMOFFICIAL Astronomy professor Chris Impey talked about the latest in exoplanet research as well as the existential threats that we face here on Earth, which lend urgency to the search for other habitable planets that we could migrate to. Telescopes like the Kepler don’t directly see exoplanets (planets orbiting other stars), but their presence is inferred through observing transits or dips in the star’s brightness. Hundreds of Earth-like planets have been discovered so far, he noted, and appear to be in temperate zones, though it is difficult to measure their atmospheres. Our options in the solar system aren’t good, as it would take an enormous effort to make Mars habitable, he pointed out, but on the other hand, exoplanets are millions of times further away and currently inaccessible. A viable colony would need at least 120-130 people, Impey added, and Elon Musk has said his large spaceship could take that many to Mars.

An experimental project called Breakthrough Starshot plans to develop fleets of tiny nanobot interstellar probes powered by solar sails that could journey to the nearby star Proxima Centauri, though it may take 50-60 years to perfect the technology, Impey reported.

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