ALIENS ON OUR DOORSTEP?
THE PLANET − PROXIMA B
The surface is thought to be rocky, possibly with liquid water, essential to life. Conditions may be affected by UV and X-ray flares from its star
THE STAR - PROXIMA CENTAURI
A red dwarf, 4.2 light years from our sun and only one seventh the size. Proxima b’s orbit lasts just 11.2 days, compared with the Earth’s 365
WHY IT COULD HAVE LIFE
It is in a habitable zone − a range of orbits around a star where a planet’s surface temperature could be right for liquid water