Proxima+Centuri+2B

Proxima Centuari is a tiny dwarf star and our sun's nearest neighbor star which is aprox. 4.22 light years away. It is the third member of the Alphi Centuari Triple System. With about 10% of the sun's mass and 0.006% of its luminosity Proxima Centuari cannot be seen with the naked eye and is a horrible candidate for harboring life. if this small star were to have planets that would be very cold and extremely dark. if there were planets the mean tempertaure (b/t .5 AU and 1 AU away) would be just slightly above zero degrees. the extreme temperatures would cause the planets to be locked by tidal forces so they would not rotate. "the glowing fireball would hang forever in the same spot in the sky ---except for the sporadic flares which could triple the stars light within minutes".

// proxima centuari in comparison to the sun and the two other centauri stars that form the alliance.//

// proxima centauri as veiwed from earth with a telescope some 4 lightyears away.//

[[image:http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0207/proximacen1_aao.jpg width="501" height="325" caption="See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available." link="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0207/proximacen1_aao_big.jpg"]] This small red star captured in the center of the above image, is so faint that it was only discovered in 1915 and is only visible through a telescope.