Today's Google Doodle Honors Our Big Planet Discovery
Finding some new neighbors has given us this charming story.
Our solar system got a new neighbor on Wednesday when NASA announced the discovery of a multiplanetary star system 40 light-years away, home to a staggering seven Earth-sized planets — three of which could possibly possess water and extraterrestrial life. At the center is the ultracool dwarf star named TRAPPIST-1, named after the telescope that found it. Suddenly, the universe felt even bigger.
“Finding a second Earth is not just a matter of if, but when,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, at a press conference on Wednesday.
People on Twitter had plenty of feelings about the news. Some were terrified of the idea of life truly being out there in the expanse, while many others were ready for an interstellar abduction. And it looks like Google’s right up there with the masses, excited about the revelation.
For Thursday’s Google Doodle, the company unveiled an adorable animation of Earth looking through a telescope and spotting a gaggle of heavenly bodies. All the planets come to life with their darling facial expressions, with one even giving our home planet a big wave.
And if you look closely, you’ll notice that Earth also sits as a placeholder of one of the “O”s in Google, with the moon also curious about what the planet sees through the telescope.
And it looks like people are quite enamored with the animation.
Throughout the past couple of months, Google has honored historical figures such as civil rights activist Fred Korematsu and sculptor Edmonia Lewis. This time around, the company is celebrating the major scientific breakthrough. Who would’ve thought space could be this cute.
