Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system, can fit in between the distance between the Earth and the Moon

Here's a fun scale fact for space lovers: Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system, could actually fit in the space between the Earth and the Moon. The Earth–Moon distance averages about 384,400 kilometers, and Proxima Centauri’s diameter is roughly 215,000 kilometers. So the star would occupy a bit more than half of that gap, leaving plenty of room still between the two.

To put it another way, Proxima Centauri is small for a star. It’s a red dwarf with a diameter of about 215,000 kilometers and a radius around 15% that of the Sun. Yet despite its modest size, Proxima sits about 4.24 light-years away from Earth, making it the closest known star to our solar system.

This kind of comparison helps people wrap their heads around cosmic scales. It shows that while the distance to Proxima is huge, the star itself is not enormous by stellar standards, especially when you contrast it with the vast distances out there.