An artistic rendering of Proxima d, a likely exoplanet around Proxima Centauri. | Image: ESO / L. Calçada
Our nearest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, may be harboring an extensive solar system, as scientists believe they’ve found a third planet orbiting it. It’s a find that re-emphasizes just how commonplace planets outside our Solar System may be — and it provides us with a third possible world nearby to study and potentially explore.
Located a little more than 4 light-years from Earth, Proxima Centauri has long captured the imagination of scientists and sci-fi enthusiasts as a prime place to visit if we ever venture far outside our Solar System. The celestial object became even more intriguing in 2016 when astronomers found a planet orbiting around it. Called Proxima b, the planet is located in the star’s habitable zone, where…
