{"id":9044,"date":"2017-05-12T22:40:09","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T19:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aso.com.tr\/closest-star-to-earth\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T21:15:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T18:15:34","slug":"closest-star-to-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aso.com.tr\/en\/closest-star-to-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Closest Star to Earth?"},"content":{"rendered":"
The nearest star to Earth is the Sun<\/strong>, about 149.6 million km<\/strong> away (light takes 8 min 20 s). The next nearest is Proxima Centauri<\/strong>, a red dwarf 4.24 light-years<\/strong> (\u224840 trillion km) away in the Alpha Centauri system, invisible to the naked eye.<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Star<\/th>\nDistance<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Sun<\/td>\n8.3 light-minutes<\/td>\nYellow dwarf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Proxima Centauri<\/td>\n4.24 ly<\/td>\nRed dwarf; planet Proxima b (2016)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alpha Centauri A & B<\/td>\n4.37 ly<\/td>\nSun-like binary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Barnard\u2019s Star<\/td>\n5.96 ly<\/td>\nRed dwarf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wolf 359<\/td>\n7.86 ly<\/td>\nRed dwarf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sirius<\/td>\n8.6 ly<\/td>\nBrightest star in the night sky<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n

What is the closest star to Earth?<\/h3>\n

The Sun; after it, Proxima Centauri at 4.24 light-years.<\/p>\n

Can you see Proxima Centauri with the naked eye?<\/h3>\n

No, it is a faint red dwarf visible only with a telescope.<\/p>\n