Proxima Centauri b is currently considered one of the closest potentially habitable exoplanets to Earth. According to Vladislava Ananyeva, a researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the planet is located approximately 4.2 light-years away from our solar system.
The Proxima Centauri system contains two known planets. While Proxima Centauri b is categorized as potentially habitable due to its orbital position, scientists emphasize that this classification does not confirm the existence of life on the planet's surface.
To detect more distant exoplanets, astronomers utilize the gravitational microlensing method. This technique allows researchers to identify objects located as far away as the center of the Milky Way, specifically within the galactic bulge, which is a dense region of stars.
The gravitational microlensing method relies on the precise alignment of a source star, a lens star, and an observer. Because this specific alignment occurs rarely, astronomers must monitor a large number of stars simultaneously to successfully detect distant planetary bodies.
