This artist’s impression shows a super-Earth world that orbits a star that’s redder and dimmer than our own. If Proxima c is real and has the properties we presently infer, it could become the smallest and closest world to ever have its image directly taken. (ESA/HUBBLE, M. KORNMESSER)

Astronomers Announce Proxima Centauri’s Second Planet, And It’s Perfect For Direct Imaging

The closest star to our own doesn’t just host one rocky planet, but a second, larger ‘super-Earth’ much farther out.

Ethan Siegel
Jan 29 · 8 min read

Of all the stars in the Universe, the closest one to our own Solar System is Proxima Centauri: a red dwarf star just…

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Ethan Siegel

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The Universe is: Expanding, cooling, and dark. It starts with a bang! #Cosmology Science writer, astrophysicist, science communicator & NASA columnist.

Starts With A Bang!

The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.

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