In a planet-forming disk of gas and dust around a young, nearby star, two huge objects recently collided at high speed. The colossal impact was positively apocalyptic in size, vaporizing enough material to make a small planet at least. Even better, the huge dust cloud created in the event passed between us and the star, eclipsing it twice, allowing astronomers to learn more about this catastrophe.
At just over four light years distant, Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun in the entire Universe. We know it has one planet, called Proxima b, and there's decent evidence of a second, called Proxima c.
A team of astronomers has announced there might be a third planet, now too! If confirmed it will be called Proxima d, and would be one of the smallest and lowest-mass exoplanets ever found.
Yeah, this may be a big deal.
The Standard Model that Describes the Fundamental Nature of the Universe - "Something Substantial is Missing" dailygalaxy.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailygalaxy.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.