Distance to Proxima Centauri
This is the distance from the Sun to Proxima Centauri, the closest known star to our Solar System.
4.25 lyDistanceWorlds apart
Distance to Proxima Centauri vs Earth–Sun distance
What are they, and what does the difference actually look like?
Two things. One honest scale.
Meet the pair
What these two things are
Earth–Sun distance
The Earth–Sun distance, or astronomical unit, is the standard measure of separation between Earth and the Sun used in astronomy.
1 AUDistanceDistance to Proxima Centauri has about 269,000 times the distance of Earth–Sun distance.
01
Distance to Proxima Centauri4.25 lyDistance
02
Earth–Sun distance1 AUDistance
Inset ×35,500Earth–Sun distance is too small to see clearly at this scale. The ring marks its position; only the inset is enlarged. A ruler represents the selected distance or unrolled circumference; it is not the physical size of the pictured body.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +
Distance to Proxima Centauri
Rounded NASA nearby-star distance anchor, 4.25 light-years. The Earth is not at the centre of the galaxy.
NASA — Our nearest celestial neighbour
The marked distance is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Earth–Sun distance
One astronomical unit is exactly 149,597,870,700 m. It is a useful Earth–Sun orbital scale, not the separation at every instant. Light takes about 8 minutes 19 seconds to cross it.
NIST — 2022 CODATA fundamental constants
The marked distance is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Change the comparison
Put something else beside it.
Measurement details
Why these numbers?
The visual compares distance with distance. The records below preserve each value’s basis and caveats.
Distance to Proxima Centauri
4.25 lyDistance · approximate
Rounded NASA nearby-star distance anchor, 4.25 light-years. The Earth is not at the centre of the galaxy.
Earth–Sun distance
1 AUDistance · definition
One astronomical unit is exactly 149,597,870,700 m. It is a useful Earth–Sun orbital scale, not the separation at every instant. Light takes about 8 minutes 19 seconds to cross it.
- Comparing
- Distance ↔ Distance
- Relative size
- Distance to Proxima Centauri is larger on this measurement by a factor of about 269,000.
How to read the visual
The labelled spans and stored measurements determine the scale; unmeasured illustration details do not.
- Distance to Proxima Centauri is labelled approximate; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
There’s always another scale
Follow your curiosity.
SpaceDistance to Proxima Centauri4.25 lyThis is the distance from the Sun to Proxima Centauri, the closest known star to our Solar System.SpaceEarth–Sun distance1 AUThe Earth–Sun distance, or astronomical unit, is the standard measure of separation between Earth and the Sun used in astronomy.
SpaceMilky Way30.66 kpcThe Milky Way is a spiral galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars, including our Solar System.
SpaceObservable universe28.21 GpcThe observable universe is the region from which light or other signals have had time to reach us since the early universe.
SpaceEarth12,740 kmEarth is the rocky planet on which we live and the third planet from the Sun.
SpaceSun1,391,000 kmThe Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System.SpaceEarth–Moon distance384,400 kmThe Earth–Moon distance is the average space between the centres of the Earth and the Moon.SpaceNeptune’s orbital distance30.11 AUNeptune’s orbital distance is the average separation between Neptune and the Sun.Side by side
Another point of view.
