Alpha Centauri

Stephen Hawking discusses the "Breakthrough Starshot" space exploration initiative during a news conference Tuesday at One World Observatory in New York City.

Science

Stephen Hawking's Plan For Interstellar Travel Has Some Earthly Obstacles

4:26pm April 14, 2016

by Geoff Brumfiel

The theoretical physicist is part of a team that wants to send postage-stamp-size probes to our closest star system, Alpha Centauri. But can they get the proper permits?

Queue Listen Now

An image from the European Southern Observatory shows the sky around the bright star Alpha Centauri — which appears so large because of the telescope optics and photographic emulsion — taken from photos in the Digitized Sky Survey 2. Alpha Centauri is

Forget Starships: New Proposal Would Use 'Starchips' To Visit Alpha Centauri

2:44pm April 12, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Physicist Stephen Hawking and billionaire Yuri Milner have announced a $100 million mission to prepare for interstellar exploration — with a stamp-size spacecraft, light sails and enormous lasers.