Proxima B

Astronomers have just discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting the closest star to our own: Proxima Centauri. It’s been named “Proxima b,” and is located 4.25-light-years from Earth. The planet itself is at least 30% larger than Earth and orbits the star at a distance of 7.3-million kilometers – less than 5% of the distance between Earth and the sun – making its year last 11.2 Earth days. Continue reading for another video and more information.

“You might think such a tight orbit would scorch the surface of the planet. But Proxima Centauri is a small, red dwarf star and shines much less fiercely than the sun. Standing on the surface of the planet, you’d see the star as a dull red orb, about three times as large as the sun appears from Earth. As a result, the planet sits in its star’s habitable zone, and its surface temperature may be right for it to host liquid water,” reports New Scientist.

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