Wikipedia:Today's featured article/October 5, 2010

Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star approximately 4.2 light-years (3.97 km) distant in the constellation of Centaurus. The star is the nearest star to the Sun and is only 0.24 ly (15,000 ± 700 astronomical units) away from the binary star system Alpha Centauri. Proxima Centauri's diameter is one-seventh that of the Sun; its mass is about an eighth of the Sun's, and its average density is about 40 times that of the Sun. Although it has a very low average luminosity, Proxima Centauri is a flare star that undergoes random increases in brightness because of magnetic activity; during a flare the star generates a total X-ray emission similar to that produced by the Sun. The star's relatively low energy production rate means that it will be a main-sequence star for another four trillion years, or nearly 300 times the current age of the universe. Searches for companions orbiting Proxima Centauri have been unsuccessful; the detection of smaller objects will require the use of new instruments, such as the proposed James Webb Space Telescope. Whether a planet orbiting this star could support life is disputed. Because of the star's proximity, it has been proposed as a destination for interstellar travel. (more...)

Recently featured: Godsmack – Charlotte Stuart – Battle of Gonzales