A third planet has been discovered orbiting Proxima Centauri, our Solar System’s closest neighbour.
Scientists said they had detected evidence that there is a third planet orbiting the star.
Two other planets have already been discovered orbiting Proxima Centauri, which is a red dwarf, meaning it is smaller and less hot and bright than the Sun.
The newly discovered planet, known as Proxima d, has the mass of only the quarter of the Earth, making it the smallest extrasolar object discovered to date. It also orbits very closely to its star, completing one revolution around Proxima Centauri in only five Earth days.
One of the other planets that orbit Proxima Centauri – Proxima b – was discovered in 2020 and is believed to be about the size of Earth. It is located in the system’s ‘Goldilocks’ or habitable zone, where conditions are right for the existence of water in liquid form, which is a prerequisite for life as we know it.
[An artist’s impression of the recently discovered Proxima d.European Southern Observatory/AFP via Getty Images]