archive / atlas record
Proxima Centauri
The nearest known star beyond the Sun.
- classification
- Red dwarf
- system
- Alpha Centauri system
Proxima Centauri is a small, magnetically active red dwarf with confirmed planets, including one orbiting in its temperate zone.
- Class
- Red dwarf
- Location / system
- Alpha Centauri system
- Distance
- 4.24 light-years from Earth
Only values with an established scientific consensus are listed. Where a quantity is uncertain or model-dependent, it is discussed in the sections below rather than stated as data.
Overview (starter entry, expanded review pending)
Proxima Centauri is a small, magnetically active red dwarf with confirmed planets, including one orbiting in its temperate zone.
Spectroscopy, parallax and photometry
Proxima Centauri's spectrum constrains temperature and composition, parallax constrains distance, and changes in brightness or motion reveal variability, companions and evolutionary state.
- What remains least constrained about Proxima Centauri?Composition, internal structure, formation history or local environment can require different observations and may remain model-dependent.
Items above are unresolved. Hypotheses are labelled as such and are not presented as confirmed findings.
CDS Strasbourg // verified 28 September 2026