A rocky planet orbits Proxima Centauri, a star that is about 1.3 parsecs from Earth. This planet is the closest planet outside o
f our solar system. 1. How long does it take light from Proxima Centauri to reach the Earth? (A parsec is about 3.26 light years. A light year is the distance light travels in one year.) I
A light beam from Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun, requires about 4.2 years to reach Earth. Proxima Centauri is about 262,000 times farther away from us than the Sun.
