Proxima Centauri

Proxima Centauri, also known as Alpha Centauri C, was one of three stars in the Alpha Centauri system. Found in the Alpha Quadrant, this star had the distinction of being the closest star to Sol. This star's system was among the first systems to be explored by Humans after they had developed warp flight in the late 21st century. (; , production art)
== Stellar Cartography ==
The Proxima Centauri system was visible from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. This system was approximately 4.3 light years from Sol. 
In 2259, the location of this star was labeled on a stellar cartography chart that was seen on the 's ready room viewscreen. This star's symbol had a color, indicating that it was affiliated with the . () 
In 2364, the location of Proxima Centauri was labeled in a star chart of a stellar neighborhood with Sol at the center. This chart was stored in the library computer. Later that year, the chart was scanned by Outpost 63. (, production art)
The system's location was labeled in a Federation star chart that was in Fleet Admiral Kirsten Clancy's office at Starfleet Headquarters in 2399 and on the bridge of the in 2401. Proxima Centauri was in or near to Federation space. ()
In 2401, the location of Proxima was labeled on a star chart that was seen on the 's bridge viewscreen. The chart was used to show the location of the combined Starfleet-Borg armada and where it needed to go to face a galactic-level threat. ()
Some years later, Proxima's position was labeled on a star chart used by Captain William T. Riker during his attempt at finding the last known location of the . ()
In 3190, the location of Proxima was labeled on a star chart used by Commander Paul Stamets for tracking the movement of the Dark Matter Anomaly through the galaxy. ()
File:Spaceflight Chronology starchart 1.jpg|The location of Proxima labeled on a star chart (2364)
File:DMA star chart 1.jpg|The location of Proxima labeled on a star chart (3190)
=== See also ===
* Proxima colony
* Proxima Maintenance Yards
* 
== Appendices ==
=== Background information ===
The classified Proxima Centauri as a red dwarf.
This star's quadrant of origin is inferred based on the position of its star system as seen in the star chart appearing in the episode .
Apparently in an early draft script of , a Human colony established before 2156 was referenced as Alpha Proxima II, possibly intended as a planet in this system. The name was later replaced as Alpha Eridani II in the final episode. The Alpha Proxima II name, however, survived in such reference works as Star Trek Maps, Star Trek Concordance, the entry on StarTrek.com, and . 
A certificate naming the Proxima Centauri Interplanetary Bowling League was created for , but did not end up being used on screen. It was included in Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission (p. 76).
The chart naming stars within twenty light years of Sol was drawn by Rick Sternbach for the Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology (p. 77) in the late 1970s. This chart showed Earth commercial and exploration routes after the use of warp drive began. There were no commercial or exploration routes to Alpha Centauri C. 
According to Star Trek: Star Charts (pp. 19, 45, and 56) and the Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library ("Federation Historical Highlights, 2161-2385"), the Proxima Centauri system was located in the Alpha Centauri sector (Sector 002). In 2120, Zefram Cochrane departed from the Alpha Centauri system on his final voyage. In the 22nd century, this system was a stop on the Earth trade routesa and traded with Earth and . 
According to Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library ("Federation Historical Highlights, 2161-2385"), Proxima (Alpha Centauri IV, Velestus) was an inhabited planet in this system. This planet had two moons, named Nykos and Tharon. The Proxima colony was founded on this planet in 2085. In 2161, this planet was a founding member of the UFP. In the late 24th century, the capital cities of this world were Cochrane and Tarola'n. The primary species of this planet was Human, with a population of 380 million. 
In a real-world corollary to Star Treks depictions, the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting Proxima Centauri, named (lower case letters were used by Earth cosmologists in the early 21st century for planets orbiting a star) was announced in August 2016, by the from one of their South American observatories, by a team led by . 
Adding further to this real-world analogy, later discoveries in the early 21st century suggested there could be two more planets in this star system. One, a cold planet in a further out orbit, was designated Proxima Centauri c. The other, from a signal that was less well defined and so only seen as a potential candidate exoplanet, orbited inward of Proxima Centauri b. So, Proxima Centauri b, just like Alpha Proxima II in the Star Trek universe, began to look like it actually was the second planet orbiting out from its star. In 2020, astronomers discovered a third planet, . This planet, slightly smaller than Earth, lies close to its sun and is not considered habitable.
=== External links ===
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
de:Proxima Centauri nl:Proxima Centauri
Category:Stars
Category:Star systems
Category:Deleted and unused material in background