Proxima Centauri b
The closest exoplanet that can exist — around the star next door.
M5.5 red dwarf · orbits Proxima Centauri · discovered 2016
The exact inputs the model saw
14 features, in the model's own order: your 4 profile preferences, then this world's 10 published physical parameters.
| feature | wire name | value | unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred star temperatureyours | prof_target_teff | 4400 | K |
| Preferred sunlightyours | prof_target_insol | 1 | × Earth |
| Max distanceyours | prof_max_dist | 150 | light-years |
| Size preferenceyours | prof_size_focus | 1 | Earth radii |
| Planet radius | pl_rade | 1.03 | Earth radii |
| Planet mass | pl_masse | 1.27* | Earth masses |
| Equilibrium temperature | pl_eqt | 234 | K |
| Sunlight received | pl_insol | 0.65 | × Earth flux |
| Orbital period | pl_orbper | 11.19 | days |
| Orbit semi-major axis | pl_orbsmax | 0.0486 | AU |
| Star temperature | st_teff | 3042 | K |
| Star radius | st_rad | 0.154 | Solar radii |
| Star mass | st_mass | 0.122 | Solar masses |
| Distance from Earth | sys_dist | 4.25 | light-years |
*published mass–radius estimate — no radial-velocity mass measured yet.
From the research corpus
Passages that ship inside the model's IPFS bundle — real citations, content-addressed with the model itself.
“Proxima Centauri b was announced on 25 August 2016 in Nature by an international team and is the closest known exoplanet to Earth, orbiting Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun, just about 4.2 light-years away. The planet has a minimum mass slightly greater than Earth's (at least about 1.07 Earth masses) and an estimated radius near 1.17 Earth radii, and it orbits within the habitable zone of its M5V red dwarf host with an…”
Closest ever exoplanet is potentially habitable · Discovery and basic parameters
“Proxima Centauri b orbits its star within the habitable zone, meaning its surface temperature could be compatible with the presence of liquid water if it has an appropriate atmosphere. With a mass only slightly greater than Earth's, it is consistent with a rocky, terrestrial composition rather than a gas-rich mini-Neptune. The surface of Proxima Centauri b is described as temperate and possibly habitable. Its discovery by the…”
Proxima b, a potentially habitable rocky exoplanet · Habitability potential
“The habitability of Proxima Centauri b is highly uncertain because its host is a red dwarf and an active flare star. The planet currently receives on the order of 30 times more extreme-ultraviolet radiation than Earth and roughly 250 times more X-rays, fluxes that over geological time can drive atmospheric escape and strip lighter volatiles. Modeling of the system's irradiation, rotation, and volatile inventory from formation to the…”
The habitability of Proxima Centauri b. I. Irradiation, rotation and volatile inventory from formation to the present · Irradiation and atmospheric escape
“Climate modeling of Proxima Centauri b explored its possible climates and observability, finding that a range of atmospheric and surface configurations could permit liquid water depending on the planet's rotation state and atmospheric composition. If the planet is in synchronous (tidally locked) rotation, three-dimensional global climate simulations suggest liquid water could persist at least on the permanently lit, substellar dayside,…”
The habitability of Proxima Centauri b. II. Possible climates and observability · Possible climates under tidal locking