The Stuff Of Science Fiction

So far, scientists have found planets in distant star systems-- over 800 confirmed to date.  Now, however, they are announcing the discovery of a planet in the Alpha Centauri system.  Right next door.

The new world is slightly more massive than Earth and orbits Alpha Centauri B in 3.2 days.  Astronomers think its surface is so hot it could be molten lava.  However, where there's one rocky world, there may be others.

Alpha Centauri is, in fact, a triple star system, with A and B-- B is a sunlike star-- and Proxima Centauri, which is the single closest star to the Sun.  The whole system is 4.3 light years from Earth.  Astronomers now think there's a possibility that Earthlike worlds could exist in the habitable zones of the system.  If such a world, or worlds, exists, the public reaction could easily result in a more robust space program.