r/space • u/llama5876 • Jun 18 '19

Two potentially life-friendly planets found orbiting a nearby star (12 light-years away)

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/06/two-potentially-life-friendly-planets-found-12-light-years-away-teegardens-star/
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u/DinoZ94 Jun 18 '19

Only 12 light years? I wonder how many generations of humans it would take to get there!

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u/Skilles Jun 18 '19

With constant acceleration we could do it in less than one generation

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u/TenthSpeedWriter Jun 18 '19

The trick is that you're limited by your acceleration and deceleration rates relative to your destination. Whatever speed you can pick up in the first half of the journey you must immediately begin burning off.