Moving is the worst: packing boxes, moving furniture, packing, unpacking, discarding, preserving… If you’re looking forward to never doing it again, you’re on our team. But of course, today we’re going to talk about a very different kind of move: What if we told you about changing not just neighborhoods or apartments, but planets? Well, in the not-so-distant future, it could be possible. Someone, please tune up the galactic BlaBlaCar. No, Elon Musk, not you, please.
Earth-2
From Méliès’ ‘A Trip to the Moon’ to today, finding a place for the human race to settle down has been a dream. While we wait for it to become a sad, sad obligation due to climate change, scientists have now discovered a planet that is similar in size to Earth and, better yet, may have an atmosphere. Its name, however, needs some marketing expertise: LP 791-18d. As a suggestion, I propose “Earth+,” which is much more catchy. So, when it’s time for us to board the rocket, we can say, “To Earth+!”
The exoplanet in question is located 90 light-years away from Earth (a quick trip to the store and back, really) and it is known that one side always faces the star in the Crater constellation, which means it wouldn’t be a good idea to tour that area no matter how much of a tan you want to sport. Water wouldn’t be possible there in any way, but scientists suspect that on the other side, volcanic activity could create an atmosphere and, therefore, water. A “dark side” that brings hope. Talk about a plot twist, ‘Star Wars.’
Moreover, the same group of scientists has stated that the discovery of LP 791-18d is a first step towards finding life beyond our solar system. This finding was made possible thanks to the James Webb Telescope, which was launched into space a year and a half ago with the aim of eventually providing us with information about the creation of the earliest galaxies. The cosmos is vast, intrinsic, and who knows? Perhaps it is populated by raccoons with guns, although for now, we’ll have to wait to find out how “the ingredients for life may exist on other worlds apart from our own,” as the scientists have said.