Hubble image archive
Proper Motion Path of Proxima Centauri
This plot shows the projected motion of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri (green line) over the next decade, as plotted from Hubble Space Telescope observations. Because of parallax due to Earth's motion around the Sun, the path appears scalloped. Because Proxima Centauri is th...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2013
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2013-22-3191-image
This plot shows the projected motion of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri (green line) over the next decade, as plotted from Hubble Space Telescope observations. Because of parallax due to Earth's motion around the Sun, the path appears scalloped. Because Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our Sun (distance, 4.2 light-years), its angular motion across the sky is relatively fast compared to much more distant background stars. This means that in 2014 and 2016 Proxima Centauri will pass in front of two background stars that are along its path. This affords astronomers a rare opportunity to study warping of space by Proxima's gravity, as will be evident in the apparent displacement of the two stars in sky photographs. This effect is called gravitational lensing. The amount of warping will be used to calculate a precise mass for Proxima Centauri and look for the gravitational footprint and any planets orbiting the star. The background image shows a wider view of the region of sky in the southern constellation Centaurus that Proxima is traversing.
Credits
NASA, ESA, K. Sahu and J. Anderson (STScI), H. Bond (STScI and Pennsylvania State University), M. Dominik (University of St. Andrews), and Digitized Sky Survey (STScI/AURA/UKSTU/AAO)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Proxima Centauri, Alpha Centauri C |
| Object Description | Nearby Star (inset) |
| R.A. Position | 14h 29m 35.0s |
| Dec. Position | -62° 40' 45.99" |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 4.2 light-years (1.3 parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The image was created from Hubble data from proposal : K. Sahu (STScI), H. Bond (STScI and Pennsylvania State University), J. Anderson (STScI), and M. Dominik (University of St. Andrews) |
| Instrument | DSS (starfield) and HST>WFC3/UVIS (inset) |
| Exposure Dates | October 1, 2012, Exposure Time: 175 seconds |
| Filters | WFC3/UVIS: F555W (V) (inset) |
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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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