It’s A Mighty Long Way to Proxima b

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Douglas

The above image was generated by the website Leonardo.ai, using information provided by ChatGPT. It might have some resemblance to the actual surface of the planet Proxima b, the closest known exoplanet.

It’s a mighty long way to Proxima b

Proxima b orbits the star Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star. Astronomer Robert Innes (1861-1933) discovered Proxima Centauri in 1915. Proxima Centauri in turn orbits around a pair of stars, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the sun, 4.25 light-years away. Therefore, Proxima b will most likely remain the closest exoplanet to Earth for a very long time. Guillem Anglada-Escude and his associates discovered Proxima b in 2016. They used the Doppler spectroscopy technique, also known as the “wobble method.” Proxima b has a big enough gravitational tug on its parent star to affect the light that comes from Proxima Centauri.

What do people want to know about Proxima b?

I could say more about Proxima b, but I’m interested in what my fellow humans would like to know about Proxima b. The top question asked is “Can we live there?” As far as I can tell, the answer is “No.” Yes, Proxima b is within the so-called “habitable zone” of Proxima Centauri. The temperature is such that liquid water could exist on the surface. But the habitable zone doesn’t take other factors into account.

Bring lead spacesuits and plenty of sunscreen

Strong irradiation by ultraviolet radiation and X-rays from Proxima Centauri could be a problem. Proxima b receives about 10–60 times as much of this radiation especially X-rays, as Earth. What do we call the solar wind of Proxima Centauri? The Proximal wind? Stellar winds and coronal mass ejections are an even bigger threat to an atmosphere. The amount of stellar wind impacting Proxima Centauri b may amount to 4–80 times that impacting Earth. Proxima b may not have an atmosphere at all. But if we go there, we may need lead spacesuits and plenty of sunscreen. Or is it Proxima-Centauriscreen?

Hey buddy, how far is it to Proxima b?

I have mentioned that Proxima b is 4.25 light-years away. A light-year is 5.88 trillion miles. Therefore the distance to Proxima b is roughly 25 trillion miles. The fastest spacecraft so far is the Parker Solar Probe, which travels at 101 miles per second. If a spacecraft took off for Proxima b at 101 miles per second, it would take 247 billion seconds or so. There are 31,536,000 seconds in a year, which means it would take 7,844 years to get there.

Maybe there are other things we should work on

I feel the aspirations of people who hunger to travel to the stars. Some people long to be discoverers. Maybe we’re the ones being discovered. The New Message from God teaches what is currently a minority viewpoint on the subject of extraterrestrials.

1) Intelligent extraterrestrial life exists
2) Extraterrestrials are intervening in human affairs today
3) This extraterrestrial intervention is a threat to human freedom

Maybe there are other things we should work on. We have soils, waters and skies to cleanse. Perhaps we need to be more restorative of nature. We might need to cool the planet. How about working on building a united, sustainable and discreet human civilization?

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

A Step Into Space Opened His Eyes

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Douglas

The Canadian actor William Shatner has played many roles from 1951 to the present. But the role he is most famous for is Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. He played this role in what is now known as Star Trek: The Original Series. There were 79 episodes of this series from 1966 to 1969. It sowed the seeds for multiple movies and multiple television series.

A step into space opened his eyes

In the year 2021, at the age of 90, Shatner became the oldest living person to travel into space. The Blue Origin spacecraft flew to an altitude of 65 miles above earth before landing 11 minutes later. Shatner shares some of the technical details of the flight here. But I wish to share his testimony after the flight. He reflects upon the flight, and how it connects with his portrayal of Captain Kirk.

“Last year, I had a life-changing experience at 90 years old. I went to space, after decades of playing an iconic science-fiction character who was exploring the universe. I thought I would experience a deep connection with the immensity around us, a deep call for endless exploration.

I was absolutely wrong. The strongest feeling, that dominated everything else by far, was the deepest grief that I had ever experienced.

I understood, in the clearest possible way, that we were living on a tiny oasis of life, surrounded by an immensity of death. I didn’t see infinite possibilities of worlds to explore, of adventures to have, or living creatures to connect with. I saw the deepest darkness I could have ever imagined, contrasting so starkly with the welcoming warmth of our nurturing home planet.

This was an immensely powerful awakening for me. It filled me with sadness. I realized that we had spent decades, if not centuries, being obsessed with looking away, with looking outside. I did my share in popularizing the idea that space was the final frontier. But I had to get to space to understand that Earth is and will stay our only home. And that we have been ravaging it, relentlessly, making it uninhabitable.”

Earth is and will stay our only home

Star Trek filled countless people (including myself) with beautiful dreams of exploring space, settling other worlds, interacting with new civilizations, and so forth. The New Message from God is seeking to provide an awakening from these dreams, as politely as possible. Star Trek: The Original Series didn’t consider the possibility that the Enterprise would be perceived as part of an invasion force. They didn’t consider the possibility that nearby space would be inhabited by older and stronger nations. If we continue to make this world uninhabitable, we won’t get another one.

It is my sincere hope that Star Trek enthusiasts will consider William Shatner’s testimony. I am happy that a step into space opened his eyes.