Kepler-442 b is a confirmed rocky exoplanet located about 1,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. It orbits the orange dwarf Kepler-442 within the star’s habitable zone, making it one of the most promising Earth-like worlds discovered so far. My station’s trajectory takes us through the Kepler-442 system for a scheduled gravity assist and long-range survey. For the first time, i see the planet so close. Beautiful… and impossibly far from home. #indie #space

A new study suggests that when our solar system’s star becomes unstable in 5 billion years or so, Earth may avoid being engulfed by its fiery demise.