Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our galaxy

2002/12/02 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronomia

Proxima Centauri star is 4.2 light-years from the Sun. Next to the double star Alpha Centauri forms a triple star system and is an object of magnitude 11 located south of the constellation of the Centauro.

It is the weakest star of the three, has very little mass, seven times lower than the Sun and its surface temperature does not reach 3,000 degrees. In the diagram Hertzsprung-Russel is placed in the intermediate place between stars, brown dwarfs and planets.

So far, measuring the size of stars as small as the Proxima Centauri has been almost impossible, since most of them have a very weak light and there has also been no adequate technology to measure these objects. However, for astronomers it has always been very interesting to know the size of these stars, as it is a very useful data to analyze the activity of matter in extreme conditions.

To measure the size of the Proxima Centauri star, the VTL interferometer of the Paranal observatory has been used. The interferometer combines data from the four telescopes at the observatory for higher resolution images. For this it is essential that the four telescopes see the same place at the same time.

Subsequently, the data obtained with the interferometer have been treated jointly by the Geneva Observatory, ESO (European Southern Observatory) and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. This has allowed us to know the exact size of this small star.

Two other small stars have been measured and the results obtained in all three cases coincide with the theory of stars. Therefore, it has been shown that the existing theory on the structure and composition of the small stars of space is correct.