<P> Proxima Centauri ( from Latin , meaning ' nearest ( star ) of Centaurus ' ) , or Alpha Centauri C , is a red dwarf , a small low - mass star , about 4.25 light - years ( 1.30 pc ) from the Sun in the constellation of Centaurus . It was discovered in 1915 by the Scottish astronomer Robert Innes , the Director of the Union Observatory in South Africa , and is the nearest - known star to the Sun . With an apparent magnitude of 11.05 , it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye . Proxima Centauri forms a third component of the Alpha Centauri trinary star system , currently with a separation of about 12,950 AU ( 1.94 trillion km ) and an orbital period of 550,000 years . At present Proxima is 2.18 ° to the southwest of Alpha Centauri . </P>
<P> Proxima Centauri ( from Latin , meaning ' nearest ( star ) of Centaurus ' ) , or Alpha Centauri C , is a red dwarf , a small low - mass star , about 4.25 light - years ( 1.30 pc ) from the Sun in the constellation of Centaurus . It was discovered in 1915 by the Scottish astronomer Robert Innes , the Director of the Union Observatory in South Africa , and is the nearest - known star to the Sun . With an apparent magnitude of 11.05 , it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye . Proxima Centauri forms a third component of the Alpha Centauri trinary star system , currently with a separation of about 12,950 AU ( 1.94 trillion km ) and an orbital period of 550,000 years . At present Proxima is 2.18 ° to the southwest of Alpha Centauri . </P>
where is proxima centauri in the night sky
where is proxima centauri in the night sky
in the constellation of Centaurus
in the constellation of Centaurus