This story appears in the March 2019 issue of National Geographic magazine.
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Life probably exists beyond Earth. So how do we find it?
With next-generation telescopes, tiny space probes, and more, scientists aim to search for life beyond our solar system—and make contact.
Propelled to a fifth the speed of light by a laser beam more powerful than a million suns, tiny spacecraft envisioned by the Breakthrough Starshot initiative are depicted around Proxima Centauri b, four light-years from Earth.
Source: Breakthrough Initiatives; Zac Manchester, Stanford University
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