Proxima Centauri

American  

[prok-suh-muh] / ˈprɒk sə mə /

noun

1. the nearest star to the sun at a distance of 4.3 light-years, part of the Alpha Centauri triple-star system located in the constellation Centaurus.

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Proxima Centauri Scientific  

/ prŏk′sə-məsĕn-tôr′ē /

1. See under Alpha Centauri

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Etymology

Origin of Proxima Centauri

< New Latin: nearest (star) of Centaurus

Example Sentences

Imagine, he says, wanting to send a single paperclip to our neighboring star, Proxima Centauri.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

The closest red dwarf to us is Proxima Centauri.

From Space Scoop • Nov. 28, 2025

The closest Earth-like exoplanet to us -- and possibly the most famous -- is Proxima Centauri b, which is only 4 light-years away.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2024

Indeed, Proxima Centauri b has an orbital period of 11.2 days and orbits a dwarf star with 12.2 percent the mass of the sun.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2023

Do we have any hope of leaving Earth and traversing the immense distances even to Proxima Centauri in convenient periods of time?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan