The sun’s nearest neighbor may actually host three planets.
Astronomers have found evidence of a third planet circling Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star that lies a mere 4.2 light-years from our solar system. The candidate world, known as Proxima d, is estimated to be just 25% as massive as Earth, making it one of the lightest known exoplanets if it ends up being confirmed.
Proxima b was spotted in 2016. Three years later, researchers reported the detection of a possible second world in the system, a candidate called Proxima c that’s at least six times more massive than Earth. If Proxima c exists, it’s likely too cold to host life as we know it on its surface; the putative planet takes 5.2 years to complete one orbit around Proxima Centauri, which is much smaller and dimmer than the sun.
ESPRESSO detected the first hints of a possible third world in the Proxima Centauri system in 2020, while making observations that confirmed the existence of Proxima b. Faria and his team then conducted follow-up measurements, which suggested that the new signal is being generated by a planet rather than other factors, such as variable stellar activity.
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