Our nearest celestial neighbor, the star Proxima Centauri, likely has a second planet.
The planet, dubbed Proxima c, is at least about 6 times the mass of Earth and orbits its tiny red dwarf host once every 5.2 years. If confirmed, the newly discovered super-Earth would be the second terrestrial world found in the Proxima Centauri system, which is located just 4.2 light-years from Earth.
According to the researchers, the discovery of Proxima c could provide insights into how low-mass planets around low-mass stars form, especially when the planets begin their lives well beyond a star’s “snow line,” where water turns to solid ice.
The star Proxima Centauri has long captivated the astronomical community. This is largely due to the fact that the red dwarf is the nearest star to the Sun, meaning that future interstellar missions like Breakthrough Starshot will likely start by venturing to the Proxima Centauri system ...
