Potentially Habitable Planet Found Orbiting Star Closest to Sun
The alien world is warmed by the light of Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star that sits just 4.24 light-years away.
Small planets sometimes generate gargantuan buzz. For weeks, eager media outlets have been reporting rumors that a potentially habitable planet is circling the star closest to our sun, a red dwarf called Proxima Centauri.
Now, finally, astronomers are ready to unveil this alien world.
Observations made with a telescope in Chile have indeed revealed a planet about as massive as Earth that orbits Proxima Centauri, which is a cosmic walk to the corner store at just 4.24 light-years away. And if conditions are right, the planet is in an orbit that’s warm enough for liquid water to survive on its surface.
Illuminated by a pale reddish light, the world orbits the smallest star in a triple system known as Alpha Centauri,