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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.


Proxima Centauri Scientific  
/ prŏksə-məsĕn-tôrē /
  1. See under Alpha Centauri


Etymology

Origin of Proxima Centauri

< New Latin: nearest (star) of Centaurus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The closest star, Proxima Centauri, is marked at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to reflect its true distance.

From BBC Jun. 7, 2026

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 study found that for a pair of these nearby worlds, Proxima Centauri b and GJ 887 b, these telescopes are highly adept at detecting the presence of potential biosignatures.

From Science Daily Jan. 29, 2024

On the same scale, Proxima Centauri, our nearest star, would be almost ten thousand miles away.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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