Finding Proxima b: the 'planet hunters' searching for signs of alien life around nearby stars

Astronomer Guillem Anglada-Escudé took four years to form the team that found Proxima b, the closest Earth-like planet to our solar system. Discovered in August 2016, it orbits the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light years away.

It is slightly larger than Earth and has a temperature range that can accommodate liquid water. In short, it is the closest place to search for life in our nearby intergalacticneighbourhood. "The nearest stars and these red dwarfs, like Proxima, are the places where we have the chance to test these questions," says Anglada-Escudé, 37, a lecturer in astronomy at the Queen Mary University of London.