What is the closest star to our sun and does it affect any of the planets?

Question

in our solar system in any way.

Answer 1

The closest star to our sun is Proxima Centauri, about 4 light years away.  Technically, we are affected by its light and gravity, but by such a tiny amount you'd never know it.  It's just a dot in the sky like all the other stars you see.

Answer 2

Proxima Centauri, and as far as i know, it doesn't affect our solar system in any way.

Answer 3

The closest star to our sun is Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 4.22 light years.

That is too far for Proxima to have any influence on our solar system in any way.

The next closest star is the double-star Alpha and Beta Centauri at 4.5 light years (Proxima is the third star in that system, it orbits the other 2) - though Alpha and Beta are larger than Proxima they are still too far away to influence our solar system.

The only star that affects the planets in our system is our own sun.

Answer 4

there is no close star to the sun. the sun is a star

Answer 5

The closest star to the Sun is the C component of Alpha Centauri, a triple star system.  Alpha Centauri C is a red dwarf star over 100 billion miles from the other two components of the system.  It is extremely faint, visible only with optical aid, and was not even discovered until after 1900.  If the other two members of the Alpha Centauri system have planets, C would not have any effect on them, either.  It is 4.23 lightyears from us.

Answer 6

The closest star to the sun is Proxima Centauri, but its brighter neighbor Alpha Centauri

Answer 7

Proxima Centauri, and no, it's affect on Sol's planets would be infinitesimal at best. It's a tiny almost invisible star.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Cen...

To be more specific, tiny numbers of photons and other radiation does arrive at Earth from Proxima Centauri, so the occasional chlorophyll cell has used a photon from Proxima Centauri. And by the same token, other radiation from Proxima Centauri has probably damaged the occasional gene or cell, but in either case the numbers would be so small as to be meaningless.

Answer 8

The closest star to the Sun is Proxima Centauri, which is currently about 4.2 light years away from us. It is a red dwarf star, and is far too distant to have any significant effect on the mechanics of our Solar System. If nothing else, other slightly farther stars often have much greater effects because they are so much more massive and luminous than Proxima Centauri is.