PROXIMA'S PLANET

This is a view of the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, 4 light years distant. Proxima is a red dwarf, a celestial glowworm only about as large as Jupiter.

This scene is from a hypothetical planet close enough to bask in the warmth of this tiny sun.

The Alpha Centauri system, to which Proxima belongs, is a triple star system. The other two stars are shown in the upper right, one of which is nearly a twin to our Sun.