Chris Impey on the New Space Race and Exoplanet Habitation
The astronomer and University of Arizona professor discusses his book “Worlds Without End” and the vast possibilities of extraterrestrial human habitation.
June 8, 2023
17 minute read
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The astronomer Chris Impey’s latest book, Worlds Without End: Exoplanets, Habitability, and the Future of Humanity, explores the implications of the fact that there are, by his rough count, a mind-boggling four billion Earth-like planets in the cosmos. It’s a staggering, reality-bending figure that leads one to imagine that, one day, humankind may very well expand our species to another habitable planet. The only major hitch? The nearest Earth-like exoplanet is around a hundred light-years—or thousands of trillions of miles—away. “There is no Planet B,” Impey says matter-of-factly on the latest episode of our At a Distance podcast, adding that, “We’re not gonna go there; the energy cost is insane. We have to look after this planet.”
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