![]() Proxima Centauri is one of the only stars we could potentially ever visit in our lifetime.Īt the speed of light, a two-way trip would take 8.4 years. Still, as our nearest neighbour, Proxima Centauri b remains a compelling target for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (or SETI). While bad space weather doesn’t rule out life existing in the Proxima Centauri system, it does mean the planet’s surface is likely to be inhospitable. ![]() ![]() Proxima Centauri hosts an Earth-sized exoplanet called Proxima Centauri b, and Andrew’s observations suggested the planet is buffeted by fierce “space weather”. Understanding how and when a star flares teaches us a lot about whether those planets might be suitable for life. Though the Sun produces flares, they are not strong or frequent enough to disrupt life on Earth. Flares from stars are bursts of energy and hot plasma that may impact (and likely destroy) the atmosphere of any planets in their path.
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