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Earth-like Planet Found?

Exciting space news, people!

(CNN) In a discovery that has been years in the making, researchers have confirmed the existence of a rocky planet named Proxima b orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun, according to a new study. It is the closest exoplanet to us in the universe.

Cool stuff, right? It’s close to our sun so the whole “we’ll get superpowers because of a red sun” isn’t going to happen. Still, it’d be exciting if there’s life out there. See the CNN link below.

Source: Closest rocky planet to our solar system found – CNN.com

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• Earth-like planet possibly found around our nearest neighbor star
• Discovery of potentially Earth-like planet Proxima b raises hopes for life
• It’s true – the closest star to the Sun harbors an Earth-sized planet
• Proxima Centauri b: Have we just found Earth’s cousin right on our doorstep?
• Earth-like planet Proxima b could be home to human life and turn blockbuster Avatar into reality

Discovery Channel Turns Facebook Science Page Into a Show

Via AV Club. Wow. Good for them.

http://mobile.avclub.com/articles/discovery-channel-fucking-loves-science,102067/

Let Us Say Goodbye To The Space Shuttle Discovery

I got a bit misty-eyed watching this video of the Space Shuttle Discovery flying for the last time. It was on the back of an airplane, but that’s still flying.

Kids don’t get excited about the space program anymore, which is too bad. When I was a lad, space shuttle launches were a very big deal. Now, not so much.

I remember very clearly gathering around a TV set in school to watch Discovery launch. Not sure what it will take to get kids excited about space exploration again, but I hope somebody figures it out soon.

For more about the final voyage of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and what NASA is up to these days, visit NASA.gov.

Update—Jeffrey Marlow has some ideas about Making Space Cool Again at Wired.com.

Goodbye, Discovery: Legendary Space Shuttle Takes Its Final Flight (Gizmodo)

Science News Has Headline That Sounds Cool

This, from Discovery.com, sounds so sci-fi nifty that I posted the link. I don’t really understand it, but doesn’t it sound neat?

Nanocluster Acts as Hydrogen Super Sponge: Discovery News

Real Life Gamma Rays – Is Real Life Hulk Next?

My never ending quest to believe that superheroes could one day exist in the real world is boosted by this news item:

Nov. 24, 2008 — When space shuttle astronauts dispatched NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Telescope into orbit in 1991, scientists figured they would learn more about supernovas, black holes and other phenomena that blast off high-energy rays.
They never expected to uncover gamma ray flashes coming from Earth itself.

It gets all technical and sciency, but to my comic book-addled brain Read more »