Aside from our own sun, what is the closest star in relation to earth?

1 Answer
Nov 18, 2015

Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to Earth besides the Sun.

Explanation:

Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light years (#2.469*10^13# miles or #3.974*10^13# km) away from Earth, which makes it the closest star to Earth other than the Sun.

Proxima Centauri is nearby to the Binary Star system Alpha Centauri, which consists of two stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B.

It is not yet concluded if or if not Proxima Centauri forms part of this system (to make it a triple star system) due to the fact that the Alpha Centauri binary system is 4.3 light years away from Earth, which in stellar terms is quite close to Proxima Centauri, which is at 4.2 light years away from Earth.

Therefore because Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light years away, which is closer than 4.3 light years away, it is the closest star to Earth, other than our very own star, the Sun.

Hope I helped :)