Is there life on planets in Alpha Centauri, the star system that is closest to ours?

An abundance of dangerous X-ray radiation makes it unlikely for the one exoplanet that we have found so far. But, there is new data that suggests a better chance with any new planets that we have yet to discover.

With the discovery of thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars, the search for extraterrestrial life has entered an exciting new phase.

Tools like the Kepler Space Telescope has made it possible to discover worlds many light years away. What about stars closer to our neighborhood? Like Alpha Centauri, which is only four light-years away from our own sun.

The two stars, Alpha Centauri A and B are both similar to our sun. Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf, which emits deadly X-ray radiation. This is not a good sign for its Earth-sized planet, Proxima b.

Observations of the other two stars shows conditions favorable for habitable planets.