Proxima Centauri d

Proxima Centauri d (also called Proxima d) is an exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun and part of the Alpha Centauri triple star system. Together with two other planets in the Proxima Centauri system, it is the closest known exoplanet to the Solar System, located approximately 4.2 light-years (1.3 parsecs; 40 trillion kilometres; 25 trillion miles) away in the constellation of Centaurus. Astronomers discovered the exoplanet using radial velocity data from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, initially part of a 2020 study on Proxima b's mass. The radial velocity signal from Proxima d was later confirmed by Faria et al. in a follow-up analysis published in February 2022.[2][1]

Proxima Centauri d
Artistic depiction of Proxima Centauri d, with Proxima b and c visible in the background
Discovery[1]
Discovery siteVLT-ESPRESSO
Discovery date2020
Radial velocity
Orbital characteristics[1]
0.02885+0.00019
−0.00022 AU
Eccentricity0.04+0.15
−0.04
5.122+0.002
−0.0036 d
Semi-amplitude0.39±0.07 m/s
StarProxima Centauri
Physical characteristics[1]
Mean radius
0.81±0.08 R🜨
Mass≥0.26±0.05 M🜨
Temperature360 K (87 °C; 188 °F)

    Proxima d is a sub-Earth at least one-quarter of the mass of Earth (or twice the mass of Mars), orbiting at roughly 0.029 AU (4.3 million km; 2.7 million mi) every 5.1 days.[2] It is the least massive and innermost planet of the Proxima Centauri system. It is the least massive exoplanet detected with the radial velocity method as of 2022. Proxima d orbits too close to its star to be habitable—assuming an Earth-like reflectivity, its equilibrium temperature may reach 360 K (87 °C; 188 °F).[1]

    See also

    References
    1. Faria, J. P.; Suárez Mascareño, A.; et al. (January 4, 2022). "A candidate short-period sub-Earth orbiting Proxima Centauri" (PDF). Astronomy & Astrophysics. European Southern Observatory. 658: 17. arXiv:2202.05188. Bibcode:2022A&A...658A.115F. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202142337.
    2. Suárez Mascareño, A.; Faria, J. P.; et al. (11 May 2020). "Revisiting Proxima with ESPRESSO". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 639: 24. arXiv:2005.12114. Bibcode:2020A&A...639A..77S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202037745. ISSN 0004-6361.

    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.