a space thought

I was thinking about the darkness of space... and I realized that there isn't really any. Even from our darkest region on earth, one can see billyuns (heh) of stars... our own galaxy is a brilliant swath across the night-sky.

So, were we to start travelling out in space, I don't think we'd be overwhelmed by the darkness. No, I think we'd be bored by the lack of change. The sheer distances between the stars is mind-boggling. We could travel decades and see very little movement. That would get a bit on my nerves. (c: Just sitting there, wondering if time is really passing.. is this ship really moving.. etc.. plenty of time to get philosophical.

Did you hear about the earth-sized planet not too far away? (20 light years) It's a bit bigger than earth, but likely has a comfortable surface temperature. They think it is probably about 0-30 degrees celsius. Has an orbit of about 13 days (very close to its star), but the star is a red dwarf (very small, low heat). It has potential for having liquid water on it, which has a lot of scientists very excited. If they were assembling a team of people to go exploring and had a better way of keeping in contact with people back on earth.. I'd seriously consider volunteering. (c: