 Proxima Centauri as seen by Hubble | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Pronunciation | UK: /ˌprɒksɪmə |
| Right ascension | 14h 29m 42.94853s |
| Declination | −62° 40′ 46.1631″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.43 - 11.11 |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | Main sequence red dwarf |
| Spectral type | M5.5Ve |
| Apparent magnitude (U) | 14.21 |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 12.95 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.13 |
| Apparent magnitude (R) | 9.45 |
| Apparent magnitude (I) | 7.41 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 5.357±0.023 |
| Apparent magnitude (H) | 4.835±0.057 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 4.384±0.033 |
| U−B color index | 1.26 |
| B−V color index | 1.82 |
| V−R color index | 1.68 |
| R−I color index | 2.04 |
| J−H color index | 0.522 |
| J−K color index | 0.973 |
| Variable type | UV Ceti ("flare star") |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −22.204±0.032 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −3775.75 mas/yr Dec.: 765.54 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 768.5 ± 0.2 mas |
| Distance | 4.244 ± 0.001 ly (1.3012 ± 0.0003 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | 15.60 |
| Orbit | |
| Primary | Alpha Centauri AB |
| Companion | Proxima Centauri |
| Period (P) | 547000+6600 −4000 yr |
| Semi-major axis (a) | 8700+700 −400 AU |
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.50+0.08 −0.09 |
| Inclination (i) | 107.6+1.8 −2.0° |
| Longitude of the node (Ω) | 126±5° |
| Periastron epoch (T) | +283+59 −41 |
| Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary) | 72.3+8.7 −6.6° |
| Details | |
| Mass | 0.1221±0.0022 M☉ |
| Radius | 0.1542±0.0045 R☉ |
| Luminosity (bolometric) | 0.0017 L☉ |
| Luminosity (visual, LV) | 0.00005 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 5.20±0.23 cgs |
| Temperature | 3042±117 K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.21 dex |
| Rotation | 82.6±0.1 days |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | less than 0.1 km/s |
| Age | 4.85 Gyr |
| Other designations | |
Proxima Centauri (from Latin, meaning 'nearest [star] of Centaurus'), or Alpha Centauri C, is a red dwarf, a small low-mass star, about 4.244 light-years (1.301 pc) from the Sun in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes and is the nearest-known star to the Sun. With a quiescent apparent magnitude of 11.13, it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Proxima Centauri forms a third component of the Alpha Centauri system, currently with a separation of about 12,950 AU (1.94 trillion km) and an orbital period of 550,000 years. At present Proxima is 2.18° to the southwest of Alpha Centauri.
Because of Proxima Centauri's proximity to Earth, its angular diameter can be measured directly. The star is about one-seventh the diameter of the Sun. It has a mass about an eighth of the Sun's mass (M☉), and its average density is about 33 times that of the Sun. Although it has a very low average luminosity, Proxima is a flare star that undergoes random dramatic increases in brightness because of magnetic activity. The star's magnetic field is created by convection throughout the stellar body, and the resulting flare activity generates a total X-ray emission similar to that produced by the Sun. The mixing of the fuel at Proxima Centauri's core through convection and its relatively low energy-production rate mean that it will be a main-sequence star for another four trillion years, or nearly 300 times the current age of the universe.
In 2016, the European Southern Observatory announced the discovery of Proxima Centauri b, planet orbiting the star at a distance of roughly 0.05 AU (7.5 million km) with an orbital period of approximately 11.2 Earth days. Its estimated mass is at least 1.3 times that of the Earth. The equilibrium temperature of Proxima b is estimated to be within the range of where water could exist as liquid on its surface, thus placing it within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, although because Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf and a flare star, whether it could support life is disputed. Previous searches for orbiting companions had ruled out the presence of brown dwarfs and supermassive planets.
Observation
In 1915, the Scottish astronomer Robert Innes, Director of the Union Observatory in Johannesburg, South Africa, discovered a star that had the same proper motion as Alpha Centauri. He suggested that it be named Proxima Centauri (actually Proxima Centaurus). In 1917, at the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope, the Dutch astronomer Joan Voûte measured the star's trigonometric parallax at 0.755″±0.028″
and determined that Proxima Centauri was approximately the same
distance from the Sun as Alpha Centauri. It was also found to be the
lowest-luminosity star known at the time. An equally accurate parallax determination of Proxima Centauri was made by American astronomer Harold L. Alden in 1928, who confirmed Innes's view that it is closer, with a parallax of 0.783″±0.005″.
Stars closest to the Sun, including Proxima Centauri
In 1951, American astronomer Harlow Shapley announced that Proxima Centauri is a flare star.
Examination of past photographic records showed that the star displayed
a measurable increase in magnitude on about 8% of the images, making it
the most active flare star then known.
The proximity of the star allows for detailed observation of its flare activity. In 1980, the Einstein Observatory
produced a detailed X-ray energy curve of a stellar flare on Proxima
Centauri. Further observations of flare activity were made with the EXOSAT and ROSAT satellites, and the X-ray emissions of smaller, solar-like flares were observed by the Japanese ASCA satellite in 1995.[43] Proxima Centauri has since been the subject of study by most X-ray observatories, including XMM-Newton and Chandra.
In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Proxima Centauri for this star on August 21, 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU approved Star Names.
Because of Proxima Centauri's southern declination, it can only be viewed south of latitude 27° N.
Red dwarfs such as Proxima Centauri are far too faint to be seen with
the naked eye. Even from Alpha Centauri A or B, Proxima would only be
seen as a fifth magnitude star. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 11, so a telescope with an aperture
of at least 8 cm (3.1 in) is needed to observe it, even under ideal
viewing conditions—under clear, dark skies with Proxima Centauri well
above the horizon.
In 2018, a superflare was observed from Proxima Centauri, the
strongest flare ever seen. The optical brightness increased by a factor
of 68 to approximately magnitude 6.8. It is estimated that similar
flares occur around five times every year but are of such short
duration, just a few minutes, that they have never been observed before.
Physical properties
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf, because it belongs to the main sequence on the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram and is of spectral class M5.5. M5.5 means that it falls in the low-mass end of M-type stars. Its absolute visual magnitude, or its visual magnitude as viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs (33 ly), is 15.5. Its total luminosity over all wavelengths is 0.17% that of the Sun, although when observed in the wavelengths of visible light the eye is most sensitive to, it is only 0.0056% as luminous as the Sun. More than 85% of its radiated power is at infrared wavelengths. It has a regular activity cycle of starspots.
This illustration shows the comparative sizes of (from left to right) the Sun, α Centauri A, α Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri.
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The two bright points are the Alpha Centauri system (left) and Beta Centauri (right). The faint red star in the centre of the red circle is Proxima Centauri.
In 2002, optical interferometry with the Very Large Telescope (VLTI) found that the angular diameter of Proxima Centauri was 1.02±0.08 mas.
Because its distance is known, the actual diameter of Proxima Centauri
can be calculated to be about 1/7 that of the Sun, or 1.5 times that of Jupiter. The star's mass, estimated from stellar theory, is 12.2% M☉, or 129 Jupiter masses (MJ). The mass has been calculated directly, although with less precision, from observations of microlensing events to be 0.150+0.062
−0.051 M☉.
−0.051 M☉.
The mean density of main-sequence stars increase with decreasing mass, and Proxima Centauri is no exception: it has a mean density of 47.1×103 kg/m3 (47.1 g/cm3), compared with the Sun's mean density of 1.411×103 kg/m3 (1.411 g/cm3).
A 1998 study of photometric variations indicates that Proxima Centauri rotates once every 83.5 days. A subsequent time series analysis of chromospheric indicators in 2002 suggests a longer rotation period of 116.6±0.7 days. This was subsequently ruled out in favor of a rotation period of 82.6±0.1 days.
Because of its low mass, the interior of the star is completely convective, causing energy to be transferred to the exterior by the physical movement of plasma rather than through radiative processes. This convection means that the helium ash left over from the thermonuclear fusion
of hydrogen does not accumulate at the core, but is instead circulated
throughout the star. Unlike the Sun, which will only burn through about
10% of its total hydrogen supply before leaving the main sequence,
Proxima Centauri will consume nearly all of its fuel before the fusion
of hydrogen comes to an end.
Convection is associated with the generation and persistence of a magnetic field. The magnetic energy from this field is released at the surface through stellar flares
that briefly increase the overall luminosity of the star. These flares
can grow as large as the star and reach temperatures measured as high as
27 million K—hot enough to radiate X-rays. Proxima Centauri's quiescent X-ray luminosity, approximately (4–16) × 1026 erg/s ((4–16) × 1019 W), is roughly equal to that of the much larger Sun. The peak X-ray luminosity of the largest flares can reach 1028 erg/s (1021 W).
Proxima Centauri's chromosphere is active, and its spectrum displays a strong emission line of singly ionized magnesium at a wavelength of 280 nm.
About 88% of the surface of Proxima Centauri may be active, a
percentage that is much higher than that of the Sun even at the peak of
the solar cycle. Even during quiescent periods with few or no flares, this activity increases the corona temperature of Proxima Centauri to 3.5 million K, compared to the 2 million K of the Sun's corona. Proxima Centauri's overall activity level is considered low compared to other red dwarfs, which is consistent with the star's estimated age of 4.85 × 109 years, since the activity level of a red dwarf is expected to steadily wane over billions of years as its stellar rotation rate decreases. The activity level also appears to vary with a period of roughly 442 days, which is shorter than the solar cycle of 11 years.
Proxima Centauri has a relatively weak stellar wind, no more than 20% of the mass loss rate of the solar wind.
Because the star is much smaller than the Sun, the mass loss per unit
surface area from Proxima Centauri may be eight times that from the
solar surface.
A red dwarf with the mass of Proxima Centauri will remain on the
main sequence for about four trillion years. As the proportion of helium
increases because of hydrogen fusion, the star will become smaller and
hotter, gradually transforming from red to blue. Near the end of this period it will become significantly more luminous, reaching 2.5% of the Sun's luminosity (L☉)
and warming up any orbiting bodies for a period of several billion
years. When the hydrogen fuel is exhausted, Proxima Centauri will then
evolve into a white dwarf (without passing through the red giant phase) and steadily lose any remaining heat energy.
Distance and motion
Based on a parallax of 768.13±1.04 mas, published in 2014 by the Research Consortium On Nearby Stars, Proxima Centauri is about 4.246 light-years (1.302 pc; 268,500 AU) from the Sun. Previously published parallaxes include 772.33±2.42 mas in the Hipparcos Catalogue (1997) and 768.77±0.37 mas using the Hubble Space Telescope's Fine Guidance Sensors (1999). From Earth's vantage point, Proxima is separated from Alpha Centauri by 2.18 degrees, or four times the angular diameter of the full Moon. Proxima also has a relatively large proper motion—moving 3.85 arcseconds per year across the sky. It has a radial velocity toward the Sun of 22.2 km/s.
Distances of the nearest stars from 20,000 years ago through 80,000 years in the future. Proxima Centauri is in yellow.
Among the known stars, Proxima Centauri has been the closest star to
the Sun for about 32,000 years and will be so for about another
25,000 years, after which Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B will
alternate approximately every 79.91 years as the closest star to the
Sun. In 2001, J. García-Sánchez et al. predicted that Proxima
will make its closest approach to the Sun in approximately 26,700 years,
coming within 3.11 ly (0.95 pc). A 2010 study by V. V. Bobylev predicted a closest approach distance of 2.90 ly (0.89 pc) in about 27,400 years,
followed by a 2014 study by C. A. L. Bailer-Jones predicting a
perihelion approach of 3.07 ly (0.94 pc) in roughly 26,710 years. Proxima Centauri is orbiting through the Milky Way at a distance from the Galactic Centre that varies from 27 to 31 kly (8.3 to 9.5 kpc), with an orbital eccentricity of 0.07.
Orbital plot of Proxima Centauri as presently seen from Earth.
Ever since the discovery of Proxima, it has been suspected to be a true companion of the Alpha Centauri binary star system. Data from the Hipparcos
satellite, combined with ground-based observations, were consistent
with the hypothesis that the three stars are a bound system. For this
reason, Proxima is sometimes referred to as Alpha Centauri C. Kervella
et al. (2017) used high-precision radial velocity measurements to
determine with a high degree of confidence that Proxima and Alpha
Centauri are gravitationally bound. Proxima's orbital period around the Alpha Centauri AB barycenter is 547000+6600
−4000 years with an eccentricity of 0.5±0.08; it approaches Alpha Centauri to 4300+1100
−900 AU at periastron and retreats to 13000+300
−100 AU at apastron. At present, Proxima is 12,947 ± 260 AU (1.94 ± 0.04 trillion km) from the Alpha Centauri AB barycenter, nearly to the farthest point in its orbit.
−4000 years with an eccentricity of 0.5±0.08; it approaches Alpha Centauri to 4300+1100
−900 AU at periastron and retreats to 13000+300
−100 AU at apastron. At present, Proxima is 12,947 ± 260 AU (1.94 ± 0.04 trillion km) from the Alpha Centauri AB barycenter, nearly to the farthest point in its orbit.
Such a triple system can form naturally through a low-mass star being dynamically captured by a more massive binary of 1.5–2 M☉ within their embedded star cluster before the cluster disperses. However, more accurate measurements of the radial velocity are needed to confirm this hypothesis. If Proxima was bound to the Alpha Centauri system during its formation, the stars are likely to share the same elemental composition. The gravitational influence of Proxima might also have stirred up the Alpha Centauri protoplanetary disks. This would have increased the delivery of volatiles such as water to the dry inner regions, so possibly enriching any terrestrial planets in the system with this material.
Alternatively, Proxima may have been captured at a later date during an
encounter, resulting in a highly eccentric orbit that was then
stabilized by the galactic tide
and additional stellar encounters. Such a scenario may mean that
Proxima's planetary companion has had a much lower chance for orbital
disruption by Alpha Centauri.
Six single stars, two binary star systems, and a triple star
share a common motion through space with Proxima Centauri and the Alpha
Centauri system. The space velocities of these stars are all within 10 km/s of Alpha Centauri's peculiar motion. Thus, they may form a moving group of stars, which would indicate a common point of origin, such as in a star cluster.
Though Proxima Centauri is the nearest bona fide star, it is still possible that one or more as-yet undetected sub-stellar brown dwarfs may lie closer.
Planetary system
| Companion (in order from star) |
Mass | Semimajor axis (AU) |
Orbital period (days) |
Eccentricity | Inclination | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | ≥1.27+0.19 −0.17 M⊕ |
0.0485+0.0041 −0.0051 |
11.186 | <0 .35="" span=""> | — | 0.8–1.5 R⊕ |
The first indications of the exoplanet were found in 2013 by Mikko Tuomi of the University of Hertfordshire from archival observation data. To confirm the possible discovery, the European Southern Observatory launched the Pale Red Dot project in January 2016. On August 24, 2016, the team of 31 scientists from all around the world, led by Guillem Anglada-Escudé of Queen Mary University of London, confirmed the existence of Proxima Centauri b through a peer-reviewed article published by Nature. The measurements were performed using two spectrographs: HARPS on the ESO 3.6 m Telescope at La Silla Observatory and UVES on the 8 m Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory. Several attempts to detect a transit
of this planet across the face of Proxima Centauri have been made. A
transit-like signal appearing on September 8, 2016 was tentatively
identified, using the Bright Star Survey Telescope at the Zhongshan Station in Antarctica.
Proxima Centauri b, or Alpha Centauri Cb, is a planet
orbiting the star at a distance of roughly 0.05 AU (7.5 million km)
with an orbital period of approximately 11.2 Earth days. Its estimated
mass is at least 1.3 times that of the Earth.
Moreover, the equilibrium temperature of Proxima b is estimated to be
within the range where water could exist as liquid on its surface; thus,
placing it within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri.
A second signal in the range of 60 to 500 days was also detected, but its nature is still unclear due to stellar activity.
Prior to this discovery, multiple measurements of the star's
radial velocity constrained the maximum mass that a detectable companion
to Proxima Centauri could possess.
The activity level of the star adds noise to the radial velocity
measurements, complicating detection of a companion using this method. In 1998, an examination of Proxima Centauri using the Faint Object Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope appeared to show evidence of a companion orbiting at a distance of about 0.5 AU. A subsequent search using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 failed to locate any companions. Astrometric measurements at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory appear to rule out a Jovian companion with an orbital period of 2−12 years.
Proxima Centauri, along with Alpha Centauri A and B, was among the "Tier 1" target stars for NASA's now-canceled Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), which would theoretically have been able to detect planets as small as three Earth masses (M⊕) within two AU of a "Tier 1" target star.
In 2017, a team of astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
reported detecting a belt of dust orbiting Proxima Centauri at a range
of 1−4 AU from the star. This dust has a temperature of around 40 K and
has a total estimated mass of 1% of the planet Earth. They also
tentatively detected two additional features: a cold belt with a
temperature of 10 K orbiting around 30 AU and a compact emission source
about 1.2 arcseconds from the star.
However, upon further analysis, these emissions were determined to be
the result of a large flare emitted by the star in March, 2017. The
presence of dust is not needed to model the observations.
Habitability
Pale Red Dot is an international search for an Earth-like exoplanet around the closest star Proxima Centauri.
Prior to the discovery of Proxima Centauri b, the TV documentary Alien Worlds
hypothesized that a life-sustaining planet could exist in orbit around
Proxima Centauri or other red dwarfs. Such a planet would lie within the
habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, about 0.023–0.054 AU (3.4–8.1 million km) from the star, and would have an orbital period of 3.6–14 days. A planet orbiting within this zone may experience tidal locking to the star. If the orbital eccentricity
of this hypothetical planet is low, Proxima Centauri would move little
in the planet's sky, and most of the surface would experience either day
or night perpetually. The presence of an atmosphere could serve to
redistribute the energy from the star-lit side to the far side of the
planet.
Proxima Centauri's flare
outbursts could erode the atmosphere of any planet in its habitable
zone, but the documentary's scientists thought that this obstacle could
be overcome. Gibor Basri of the University of California, Berkeley,
mentioned that "no one [has] found any showstoppers to habitability".
For example, one concern was that the torrents of charged particles from
the star's flares could strip the atmosphere off any nearby planet. If
the planet had a strong magnetic field, the field would deflect the
particles from the atmosphere; even the slow rotation of a tidally
locked planet that spins once for every time it orbits its star would be
enough to generate a magnetic field, as long as part of the planet's
interior remained molten.
Other scientists, especially proponents of the rare-Earth hypothesis, disagree that red dwarfs can sustain life. Any exoplanet in this star's habitable zone would likely be tidally locked, resulting in a relatively weak planetary magnetic moment, leading to strong atmospheric erosion by coronal mass ejections from Proxima Centauri.
Future exploration
The Sun as seen from the Alpha Centauri system, using Celestia.
Because of the star's proximity to Earth, Proxima Centauri has been proposed as a flyby destination for interstellar travel.
Proxima currently moves toward Earth at a rate of 22.2 km/s. After 26,700 years, when it will come within 3.11 light-years, it will begin to move farther away.
If non-nuclear, conventional propulsion technologies are used,
the flight of a spacecraft to a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri would
probably require thousands of years. For example, Voyager 1, which is now travelling 17 km/s (38,000 mph)
relative to the Sun, would reach Proxima in 73,775 years, were the
spacecraft travelling in the direction of that star. A slow-moving probe
would have only several tens of thousands of years to catch Proxima
Centauri near its closest approach, and could end up watching it recede
into the distance.
Nuclear pulse propulsion might enable such interstellar travel with a trip timescale of a century, inspiring several studies such as Project Orion, Project Daedalus, and Project Longshot.
Project Breakthrough Starshot
aims to reach the Alpha Centauri system within the first half of the
21st century, with microprobes travelling at twenty percent of the speed
of light propelled by around 100 gigawatts of Earth-based lasers.
The probes will perform a fly-by of Proxima Centauri to take photos and
collect data of its planet's atmospheric composition. It will take 4.22
years for the information collected to be sent back to Earth.
From Proxima Centauri, the Sun would appear as a bright 0.4-magnitude star in the constellation Cassiopeia, similar to that of Achernar from Earth.
