Astronomers have found a new planet orbiting our neighboring star Proxima Centauri, and it's one of the lightest exoplanets ever found.
At just over four light-years away, the low-mass star Proxima Centauri is practically next door to us, cosmically speaking. It is known to host two exoplanets, but recent research using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope has shown that these two planets may have a baby brother, in the form of one of the lightest exoplanets ever found.
The planet is just a quarter of Earth’s mass, making it extremely light by exoplanet standards. “The discovery shows that our closest stellar neighbor seems to be packed with interesting new worlds, within reach of further study and future exploration,” said lead author of the study João Faria in a statement.