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galaxy

Carl Sagan Said It Best: We Are Star Stuff

Sometimes it’s not just the words but how you say them that makes a difference. Though other astronomers follow his example, the fact remains Carl Sagan was a master.

Visualizing the Number Of Stars in Our Galaxy

When astronomers use numbers in the billions and larger, it’s hard to find a frame of reference to compare it to. For example, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is described as having about 250 billion stars. What does that mean?

The Necessity of Leaving Earth Within 2 Billion Years

The timeline for human life is finite. If we don’t kill ourselves off, or totally deplete our planet, then we have only about 2+ billion years to find a way to continue on with our species. That’s much shorter than is often thought, so we clearly must adjust our timetables for the need to develop a means to not only live outside our solar system, but our galaxy.