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Luis Calçada, science visualization artist Working with the European Southern Observatory, he chose another hot Jupiter: Vega b.
“This star, located just 25 light-years from us, is at the center of Carl Sagan’s novel ‘Contact’,” Calçada said. He said the book aroused “an interest that prompted him to pursue a university degree in astronomy.” After that, I built a career as a science illustrator. This book, Carl Sagan and Vega, stood by me at a defining moment in my life. That’s why it was so exciting to see a planet discovered around it.”
Small but Charming
Wil Wheaton during his years on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” looks familiar with fictional worlds and new ways of life. Orbiting a red dwarf that is slightly smaller than Earth and 12 light-years away, AI chose Ceti b and brought it provocatively close for further study.
“In a universe as large as ours, it doesn’t make sense for us to be the only intelligent (susceptible) species,” Mr. Wheaton said in an email. “So when I look at the night sky, I don’t just imagine someone else looking back. I know they are.”
He added that the evidence is unlikely to appear in our lifetimes, so “our most pressing challenge right now as a species is to look at the only planet we can live on so that future generations can’t even imagine in the very distant future. whatever it will look like, our grandchildren can make first contact.”
Inflate Your Imagination
At only 500 million years old, Kepler-51 is among the youngest star systems on this list. But even though it’s still a baby in astronomical terms, the system already hosts multiple planets with mysterious properties, said Peter Gao. staff scientist at the Carnegie Institute for Science.
Dr. Gao said the system’s three planets are called “super puffs” and have extremely low density, suggesting styrofoam or cotton candy, “challenging our understanding of how planets form and evolve.”
“I love them because I love a good mystery, and their presence has shown that the universe has always been more creative than we are,” he added.
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