June 7, 2020
By: Haris Ahmad[1]
In my
previous few blogs, I explained the whole Solar System in simple words so that
people having very little or no knowledge about the Universe. We covered all
the aspects of the Solar System except asteroids because I have already
explained them in detail in one of my blogs in the past. For now, we are taking
on a relentless journey into the unknown to understand how everything in the
universe works.
In this
blog, I will explain about the closest star to us beyond the Sun. The name of
this star is Proxima Centauri. It is also known as Alpha Centauri C because it
is a part of the three-star system called the Alpha Centauri star system.
Proxima Centauri is about 4.2 light-years away from us.
 |
| https://www.quora.com/If-our-sun-is-a-star-then-why-do-we-say-that-the-star-nearest-the-Earth-is-Alpha-Centauri |
This might seem like a tiny number but in terms of space travel, it is a humongous number. Before taking in detail about Proxima Centauri, I’ll explain Alpha Centauri A and B. Alpha Centauri A is a star which is very similar to our very own Sun in nearly all aspects. On the other hand, Alpha Centauri B is slightly smaller and dimmer than the Sun. However, it is still quite similar to our Sun. Proxima Centauri is a much smaller star that is categorized as a red dwarf star. Furthermore, Alpha Centauri A is very promising for life because the bombardment through solar flares and radiation is very low on this star. Moreover, on Alpha Centauri B conditions for life are slightly hostile. Lastly, Proxima Centauri is extremely hostile to life because it is a type of active red dwarf star which bombards its surroundings with dangerous radiations. Hence, the best place for life to evolve in this star system is in the goldilocks zone of the star Alpha Centauri A. The goldilocks zone is a region around a star where conditions aren’t too hot for water to boil nor too cold for it to freeze. Therefore, it is a region where water can stay liquid. Even though Proxima Centauri is very hostile to life, there is a planet named Proxima Centauri b which orbits it in its goldilocks zone. Hence, many theories of life have arisen on this planet. This planet is slightly more massive and larger than our planet Earth. Even though this planet orbits its star closer than Mercury orbits the Sun, the planet still haws a temperate climate. This is because Proxima Centauri is a very small red dwarf as I explain before. Though this planet may have chances to harbor life; deep research shows that this planet isn’t the place to look for life and there are various reasons for this. Firstly, planets that orbit their stars at such a close distance are tidally locked. This means that this planet may be tidally locked which means that one side of the planet faces its star while the other faces away. This suggests that one side of the planet will be burning hot while the other will be cold. Now that isn’t the place to find life, isn’t it? However, heat distribution done by the atmosphere of the planet may even out the differences but, who knows? Furthermore, another reason for the planet’s habitability is one that I explained earlier. As I explained, Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf, that is a type of star which is ridiculously active in terms of ejecting radiation and experiencing solar flares.
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| https://phys.org/news/2018-04-proxima-centauri-flare-powerful-visible.html |
The ozone layer of the planet may be bombarded to such an extent that it might have just been blasted away. Therefore, exposing the surface of the planet to harmful radiations of the parent star. However, if this planets’ magnetic field is strong enough, it may shield itself from these calamities.
This was the end of this blog, in my next blog, I will explain another aspect of the universe in simple words for newbies to understand easily.
[1] Haris Ahmad is currently studying in 9th grade (O levels) in The City School Islamabad.
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