Among the stars closest to our sun, proxima centauri is included. Pictures from
Proxima centauri is a red dwarf.
Although we can't see proxima centauri with naked eyes, it is one of the most famous stars in the sky. Because it belongs to the Alpha Centauri galaxy closest to the sun, there are three known stars. Among the three stars, scientists believe that proxima centauri is the closest to our sun, only 4.22 light years away. So far, astronomers have discovered two planets in proxima centauri. It also has huge flares and is a mysterious source of radio signals.
Generally speaking, when the stars are close to our earth, they will be very bright in the night sky. Take Sirius Canis as an example. It is the brightest star in our earth's sky, only 8.6 light years away. So why is proxima centauri only 4.22 light years away from us but not as bright as Sirius? In fact, it is not only not bright, but even invisible to the naked eye.
Actually, it's because proxima centauri is too young. Therefore, it is also known as the red dwarf-one of the most common types of stars in the Milky Way. The mass of proxima centauri is only one eighth of that of the sun. Compared with the sun's 5778 K, the dark red proxima centauri is only 3 100 Kelvin. So it's 500 times darker than the sun.
Looking at the position of adjacent stars from the perspective of the earth
Proxima centauri is located in the direction of Centauri and is best viewed from the southern hemisphere of the earth. Proxima centauri is nearly a fifth of a light-year away from A and B Centauri. Because it is too far away from the two main stars, some scientists are curious about what the real components of the star system are. The picture below will tell you the position of proxima centauri relative to the sun and other stars, and relative to α A and αB Centauri. All these nearby stars-proxima centauri, Alpha Centauri A and B, and the sun-orbit around the center of our galaxy together.
Stars within 0/2 light-years from the sun/kloc-. The lines on the grid are 4 light-years apart. Proxima centauri is a part of the triple galaxy, and we see the single star Alpha Centauri. This photo was originally published in Guy Otwell's
Proxima centauri is a star belonging to three families in the nearest Alpha Centauri galaxy. Image from ESO/BBC.
Planets around proxima centauri.
In 20 16, the European southern observatory announced a planet, proxima b, whose period of revolution is about 1 1.2 solar days and its orbit is about 4.7 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) away from proxima centauri. Its estimated mass is at least 1.3 times that of the earth.
Proxima b is located in the livable zone of its star. However, a study on 20 17 shows that this exoplanet does not have an atmosphere similar to that of the earth.
Scientists announced that they had discovered a second planet orbiting proxima centauri, proxima centauri-C. The second planet in proxima centauri is only a little bigger than the Earth, and it orbits the star every 1907 days. Its orbital distance is about 1.5 times that of its star.
Any planet around proxima centauri must endure the intense flare from this red dwarf, and it is uncertain whether it will destroy the planet.
The picture shows the image of proxima centauri taken by Hubble Space Telescope.
A record-breaking flare on the proxima centauri.
Astronomers said in April 20021year that they found that the flare (or radiation burst) in proxima centauri was 100 times stronger than any flare seen by our sun. They say this flare is one of the most violent flares on lone stars in the Milky Way. This flare on proxima centauri may bring disaster to life on its planet.
Astronomer R.O. Parke Loyd of Arizona State University said that there may be two results in judging life by flares. On the one hand, flares will eventually destroy a planet's atmosphere. On the other hand, flares can also bring life.
A signal from our nearest neighbor?
Many scientists engaged in the search for extraterrestrial civilization (SETI) believe that the famous "Wow! Signal is one of the most famous candidates for alien radio signals. 1977 "Wow! I only heard the signal once. It has never been fully confirmed or explained. But last year, scientists discovered a new possible signal, which some people called "Wow! Signal 2020 ". It seems to come from our nearest neighbor, proxima centauri.
The "Breakthrough Listening" project to find extraterrestrial intelligence has been explored in the study of Centauri. By reading more information about this mysterious signal, scientists think it is the "most exciting" signal produced by "breakthrough listening" so far.
Alpha Centauri stars A and B are binary systems, and the position of the third star, proxima centauri, relative to the other two constant stars is marked here with scissors-whether it is bound by gravity or not. Proxima centauri is the nearest star to the earth. The picture is from the Southern European Observatory.
Proxima centauri is the closest star to the sun, 4.22 light years away. It has at least two planets and large-scale flares.
By Deborah Bird
FY: Astronomy Volunteer Team
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