When Proxima b’s discovery appeared in Nature on August 24, the media breathlessly announced a new Earth-like planet just 4.2 light years away from Earth.

Astronomers have for years anticipated a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. Michelle Thaller talks with astrophysicist Dr. Patricia Boyd about NASA’s ongoing search for exoplanets and what’s the next step in human exploration of other worlds.


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Don’t miss the episode extra below. Michelle stands outside the clean room where the James Webb Space Telescope is being built and walks us through what we’re seeing:

Orbital Path is produced by PRX and supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Don't miss PRX's other science podcasts: Transistor and Outside Magazine.

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About Michelle Thaller

Dr. Michelle Thaller is an astronomer and science communicator who works at NASA. In addition to hosting the "Orbital Path" podcast, Michelle appears regularly on Discovery Science Channel’s “How the Universe Works,” and “The Stripped Universe.”

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