The Nearest Star Is Only 4 Light-Years Away — And We May Reach It Sooner Than You Think

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected a faint infrared source, S1, near Alpha Centauri A, potentially a Saturn-mass planet in the habitable zone. Although subsequent observations failed to find it, orbital modeling suggests the object may have simply moved into the star's glare, meaning its disappearance could actually support its existence as an orbiting world.