Link to the New York Times article “One Star Over, a Planet That Might Be Another Earth”

For any lover of science fiction, like me, it was a big day to have evidence of a planet circling Proxima Centauri announced on Wednesday–the closest known planet outside of our own solar system. (My son Jordan texted the news to me as soon as he learned it.) I hope all earthly schoolchildren from now on learn about this planet along with learning about the planets in our own solar system. It is a great thing to have one’s imagination stirred by a greater understanding of the vastness of the universe and how much is out there. 

This world has many troubles. Many of those troubles stem from the fact that we don’t always treat other human being as fellow human beings should be treated. Though Proxima Centauri is the closest star we know of, other than our Sun, in the context of the vast distance to Proxima Centauri and the planet or planets that surround it, everyone on earth is a close neighbor indeed. I hope that we can make progress in resolving our conflicts and overcoming our other troubles, so that we humans can more easily turn our thoughts to grand adventures, such as exploring the stars.