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Exploring Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri: Closest Stars to Earth in Search for Extraterrestrial Life

2. Proxima Centauri

Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star located in the constellation Centaurus, approximately 4.2465 light years from Earth. This star was discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes and is the closest star to the sun.

Proxima Centauri has a mass of about 12.5 percent of the Sun’s mass and a diameter of about 14 percent of the Sun’s diameter. This star is about 33 times more dense than the sun.

Proxima Centauri is a very faint star, with an apparent magnitude of 11.05, so it cannot be seen with the naked eye. Proxima Centauri has very low ultraviolet emissions, making it unlikely that it could support life as we know it on its planet.

This star also has a very high magnetic activity, which produces powerful flares.

Proxima Centauri has three known planets. The closest planet to the star, Proxima Centauri b, is a rocky planet on Earth’s surface that orbits its star every 11.2 days. The planet was discovered in 2016 and appears to be in total eclipse with its star, meaning that one side of the planet is always facing the star and the other side is always facing it. to place

Two exoplanets, Proxima Centauric and Proxima Centauri d, were discovered in 2020. These planets are gas giants that orbit their stars in 407 and 515 days, respectively.

3. Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri is one of the neighbors of the Milky Way that attracts the attention of astronomers. This star system consists of three stars and is only about 4.24 light years from Earth.

Despite its proximity, a spacecraft would still need tens of thousands of years to reach this star. Despite these obstacles, astronomers see Alpha Centauri as a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Alpha Centauri can be seen without a telescope.

2024-04-18 18:00:00
#star #systems #closest #Milky

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