File:Artist’s_impression_of_Proxima_Centauri_b_shown_hypothetically_as_an_arid_rocky_super-earth.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Proxima Centauri b

Also known as Alpha Centauri Cb, Proxima b, NAME V645 Cen b, NAME Proxima Centauri b, TIC 388857263b

extrasolar planet

AI overview

Proxima Centauri b is an Earth-sized planet that orbits Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun at about 4.2 light-years away. It matters because it's one of the nearest potentially habitable worlds we've discovered, making it a prime target for future study to understand whether life could exist beyond our solar system.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Astronomical data · SIMBAD

Object type: Pl
Distance: 4 light-years
Coordinates: RA 217.4289° · Dec -62.6795°

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via SIMBAD · CDS Strasbourg

Wikidata facts

Mass: 0.00337
Orbital period: 11.1881
Image: Artist’s impression of Proxima Centauri b shown hypothetically as an arid rocky super-earth.jpg

Show 13 more facts

semi-major axis of an orbit: 0.04856
time of discovery or invention: 2016-08-00
Commons category: Proxima Centauri b
right ascension: 217.42893801442040
declination: -62.67949189414083
argument of periapsis: 3.3
catalog code: TIC 388857263b
right ascension component of proper motion: -3781.306
M sin i: 0.00337
orbital eccentricity: 0
declination component of proper motion: 769.766
parallax: 768.5004
time of periapsis: 245813.5

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Article

Proxima Centauri b is an exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri in the constellation Centaurus. It can also be referred to as Proxima b, or Alpha Centauri Cb. The host star is the closest star to the Sun, at a distance of about 4.2 light-years (1.3 parsecs) from Earth, and is part of the larger triple star system Alpha Centauri. Proxima b and Proxima d, along with the currently disputed Proxima c, are the closest known exoplanets to the Solar System.

Proxima Centauri b orbits its parent star at a distance of about 0.04848 AU (7.253 million km; 4.506 million mi) with an orbital period of approximately 11.2 Earth days. Its other properties are only poorly understood, but it is probably a terrestrial planet with a minimum mass of 1.06 M🜨 and a slightly larger radius than that of Earth. The planet orbits within the habitable zone of its parent star; but it is not known whether it has an atmosphere, which would impact the habitability probabilities. Proxima Centauri is a flare star with intense emission of electromagnetic radiation that could strip an atmosphere off the planet.