The closest exoplanets to the Solar System are around the red dwarf Proxima Centauri. This little star is orbiting two bigger Sun-like stars, which are known as Alpha Centauri A and B. For over a decade, people have proposed possible planets around either, with no confirmation. New observations now make a stronger case for a planet around Alpha Centauri A.

The candidate world believed to be orbiting Alpha Centauri A, also known as Rigil Kentaurus, is in its habitable zone. If confirmed, this is the closest planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. However, don’t shout aliens, just yet! The planet is estimated to be not a rocky world like Earth but a gas giant.

“At only 4 light-years away, Alpha Centauri is the nearest star most similar to our own Sun. The presence of a planet, po

See Full Page