* Astronomy

Disco-ball sail propelled by laser could fly to a nearby star

Cone-shaped sails are so last year. If we really want to send probes outside our solar system, spherical sails may be the way to go.
Earlier this year, billionaire Yuri Milner announced Breakthrough Starshot, an ambitious plan to accelerate tiny probes through space at a fifth of the speed of light. At that speed, an interstellar probe could reach our closest neighbouring star system in just 20 years, sending back pictures of anything interesting once it arrived.
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