Proxima is the nearest star to the Sun. It is a dim red dwarf, smaller than our Sun and many thousands of times brighter. Here we see it seen from the

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Proxima is the nearest star to the Sun. It is a dim red dwarf, smaller than our Sun and many thousands of times brighter. Here we see it seen from the surface of an orbiting rocky planet, recently discovered, called Proxima b. To the right one can also make out Alpha Centauri, which is a binary star with two Sun-like components. The Alpha Centauri pair orbit each other quite closely, while Proxima orbits this pair much further out, forming a triple star system. In the sky, aurora can be seen. Given that Proxima is a flar star with, therefore, a powerful magnetic field, aurorae might be possible – even very prominent – in the sky of Proxima b if the latter also has a substantial magnetic field, and of course an atmosphere.

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Size: 6000px × 3588px
Photo credit: © MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: alpha, art, astronomy, aurora, binary, centauri, dwarf, exoplanet, extrasolar, illustration, planet, proxima, red, rocky, space, star, terrestrial, triple