Related papers: Directly testing gravity with Proxima Centauri

We consider the feasibility of testing Newtonian gravity at low accelerations using wide binary (WB) stars separated by $\ge 3$ kAU. These systems probe the accelerations at which galaxy rotation curves unexpectedly flatline, possibly due…

Proxima Centauri, our closest stellar neighbour, is a low-mass M5 dwarf orbiting in a triple system. An Earth-mass planet with an 11 day period has been discovered around this star. The star's mass has been estimated only indirectly using a…

The discovery of a planet around the closest star to our Sun, Proxima Centauri, represents a quantum leap in the testability of exoplanetary models. Unlike any other discovered exoplanet, models of Proxima b could be contrasted against near…

Using the most recent kinematic and radial velocity data in the literature, we calculate the binding energy of Proxima Centauri relative to the center of mass of the Alpha Centauri system. When we adopt the centroids of the observed data,…

$\alpha$ Centauri A is the closest solar-type star to the Sun and offers the best opportunity to find and ultimately to characterize an Earth-sized planet located in its Habitable Zone (HZ). Here we describe initial results from an ALMA…

Proxima and Alpha Centauri AB have almost identical distances and proper motions with respect to the Sun. Although the probability of such similar parameters is in principle very low, the question as to whether they actually form a single…

Proxima c, a candidate second planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, was detected with the radial velocity method. The announced long orbital period (5.21$^{+0.26}_{-0.22}$ years), and small semi-amplitude of the induced Doppler signal…

The field of exoplanetary science has seen discovery rates increase dramatically over recent years, due largely to the data from the Kepler mission. Even so, individual discoveries of planets orbiting nearby stars are very important for…

We have found that Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, will pass close to a pair of faint background stars in the next few years. Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images obtained in 2012 October, we determine that the passage…

We use more than a decade of radial velocity measurements for $\alpha$ Cen A, B, and Proxima Centauri from HARPS, CHIRON, and UVES to identify the $M \sin i$ and orbital periods of planets that could have been detected if they existed. At…

The detection and characterisation of Earth-like planets with Doppler signals of the order of 1 m/s currently represent one of the greatest challenge for extrasolar-planet hunters. As results for such findings are often controversial, it is…

For many classes of astronomical and astrophysical binary systems, long observational records of their radial velocity $V$, which is their directly observable quantity, are available. For exoplanets close to their parent stars, they cover…

Alpha Centauri A is the closest solar-type star to the Sun and offers an excellent opportunity to detect the thermal emission of a mature planet heated by its host star. The MIRI coronagraph on JWST can search the 1-3 AU (1"-2") region…

Proxima Centauri is an M dwarf approximately 15,000 AU from the Alpha Centauri binary, comoving and likely in a loosely bound orbit. Dynamic simulations show this configuration can form from a more tightly bound triple system. As our…

We consider how the trajectory of an interstellar precursor mission would be affected by the gravity of the Sun in Newtonian and Milgromian dynamics (MOND). The Solar gravity is ${\approx 50\%}$ stronger in MOND beyond a distance of…

We present results from the most comprehensive radio monitoring campaign towards the closest star to our Sun, Proxima Centauri. We report 1.1 to 3.1 GHz observations with the Australian Telescope Compact Array over 18 consecutive days in…

Proxima Centauri is known as the closest star from the Sun. Recently, radial velocity observations revealed the existence of an Earth-mass planet around it. With an orbital period of ~11 days, the surface of Proxima Centauri b is temperate…

Proxima Centauri is known to host an earth-like planet in its habitable zone; very recently a second candidate planet was proposed based on radial velocities. At quadrature, the expected projected separation of this new candidate is larger…

How important are gravitational and relativistic effects for interstellar travel? We consider this question in the context of proposed laser-propelled spacecraft missions to neighboring stellar destinations. Our analysis applies to any…

The analysis of Proxima Centauri's radial velocities recently led Anglada-Escud\'e et al. (2016) to claim the presence of a low mass planet orbiting the Sun's nearest star once every 11.2 days. Although the a-priori probability that Proxima…