This Kaplan Daily story caught our attention. Astronomers at the University of California-Berkeley are estimating that the Milky Way galaxy alone may contain billions of Earth-sized planets. They also determined that there were 166 solar systems within 80 light years from Earth, which would make exploration more feasible. Whether any have livable environments similar to Earth is another question.
Humans may never make physical contact with these other planets -- we may destroy ourselves first. But the fact that we're able to increasingly understand and appreciate the immense neighborhood we live in is progress -- and humbling.
(photo: NASA)
