Proxima Centauri is not just the closest star to our solar system. It’s turned out to be a fascinating system of its own, with now two planets like those we find in our own system.

I remember the disappointment I felt when I realized the stars of science fiction would probably remain unreachable, and that it wasn’t really clear that those we might reach some day would be worth visiting.

The last 10 or 15 years of astrophysics and planet hunting has thoroughly dispelled the idea that our solar system is one of a kind. It’s one of the most exciting discoveries made in my lifetime.

I hope we’re not one of a kind either.