Proxima Centauri b




Proxima Centauri b (also called Proxima b or Alpha Centauri Cb) is an exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, which is the closest star to the Sun and part of a triple star system. It is located approximately 4.2 light-years (4.0×1013 km) from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus, making it and Proxima c the closest known exoplanets to the Solar System.

Proxima Centauri b orbits the star at a distance of roughly 0.05 AU (7,500,000 km; 4,600,000 mi) with an orbital period of approximately 11.2 Earth days, and has an estimated mass of at least 1.2 times that of the Earth. The planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of more than 2,000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar wind and the habitability of Proxima Centauri b has not yet been definitively established.

The discovery of the planet was announced in August 2016. The planet was found using the radial velocity method, where periodic Doppler shifts of spectral lines of the host star suggest an orbiting object. From these readings, the radial velocity of the parent star relative to the Earth is varying with an amplitude of about 1.4 metres (4.5 feet) per second. According to Guillem Anglada‐Escudé, its proximity to Earth offers an opportunity for robotic exploration of the planet with the Starshot project or, at least, "in the coming centuries".

Without its orbital inclination known, the exact mass of Proxima Centauri b is unknown. If its orbit is nearly edge-on, it would have a mass of 1.173±0.086 M⊕ (Earth masses). Statistically, there is a roughly 90% chance that the planet's mass is less than 2.77 M⊕.

In May 2019, a paper presenting recent Spitzer Space Telescope data concluded that Proxima Centauri b does not transit its sun relative to Earth, and attributed previous transit detections to correlated noise.

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Habitability

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The habitability of Proxima Centauri b has not been established, but the planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of more than 2,000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar wind. This radiation and the stellar winds would likely blow any atmosphere away, leaving the subsurface as the only potentially habitable location on that planet. The exoplanet is orbiting within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, the region where, with the correct planetary conditions and atmospheric properties, liquid water may exist on the surface of the planet. The host star, with about an eighth of the mass of the Sun, has a habitable zone between ∼0.0423–0.0816 AU. In October 2016, researchers at France's CNRS research institute stated that there is a considerable chance of the planet harboring surface oceans and having a thin atmosphere. However, unless the planet transits in front of its star from the perspective of Earth, it is difficult to test these hypotheses. Even though Proxima Cen...
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View from Proxima Centauri b

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