Proxima Centauri

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/proxima-centauri

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the astronomical distance?4.25 light-years from Earth
2. What is the stellar classification?Red dwarf (M5.5Ve)
3. Why can’t we see Proxima Centauri with our eyes?Because it is very small and not very bright, Proxima Centauri is too dim to be seen without a telescope.
4. How many planets have been found around Proxima Centauri?Three planets are known: Proxima b, Proxima c, and Proxima d. Proxima b is about the size of Earth, Proxima c is a bit bigger, and Proxima d is smaller than Earth.

Red Dwarf: A small, cool, low-mass star, representing the most common stellar type in the Milky Way galaxy.
Flare Star: A star exhibiting sudden, intense bursts of radiation and brightness due to magnetic activity.
Habitable Zone: The orbital region around a star where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on a planet's surface.
Exoplanet: A planet orbiting a star outside of our solar system.