Finding Strange Things in Familiar Places

One thing I love about the Universe is whenever we take a new look at something we find things that are totally unexpected.

The latest example of this is the discovery of an Earth sized planet around Alpha Centauri B. The planet is much too close to the star for life to have evolved as we know it, but it is still a great find.

Alpha Centauri's two main stars are by far the most studied stars next to the Sun. They are our closest neighbors and are very similar to our own Sun. One is a little hotter, and one is a little cooler. They are only a billion years older than our own Sun.

For thousands of years humans have looked at the Alpha Centauri system with bigger and bigger telescopes comparing it's stars with our own. After examining all that time it still surprises us with something new.

When you think about it that is pretty much true of all science. From looking at the Cosmos and “knowing” that the universe is made up of atoms and energy, then looking closer and finding out those make up only 3% of the universe. To looking at the Moon after believing it to be fully explored and finding water. It's truly amazing what happens when you give something that has been examined over and over, one more look in a different way.

In science, writing, and all aspects of life, there it's always worth giving things another look, you never know what you might find.

By Darrell B. Nelson author of I KILLED THE MAN THAT WASN'T THERE