The place we call home may seem enormous to us, but it’s actually just a speck in the vast scope of the cosmos. “It’s a modest little place, three orbits out from Sol.” A bit doubtfully, he adds, “You can’t miss it. This elicits a chuckle from the knowledgeable travel agent.
“Is she the biggest planet in that system?” one of the travelers asks. Be careful to read the signs along the way Sol is just a medium-sized star and quite easy to miss. “… Then you turn right at Alpha Centauri-that 4.37 light-years from Sol, the star that’s nearest to Planet Earth-shoot down the Milky Way galaxy, and you hang a left when you reach Sol. After outlining the major space highways that they would need to take, he moves on to the lesser-known back roads.
Ever eager to please a customer, he offers directions. The travel agent tries at first to dissuade the couple from attempting so remote a journey, but they prove insistent. It’s called Earth, and it’s apparently located somewhere out in the boondocks. They visit their friendly travel agent and say, “Some friends told us about a quaint little place they once stumbled upon. They’ve already been to all the main tourist attractions, near and far. Imagine a pair of intergalactic travelers who decide they’d like to expand the scope of their sightseeing.