Directly image Proxima Centauri b
WithdrawnPhysics Astronomy
Withdrawn - no award is payable.
A peer-reviewed direct-imaging detection (reflected starlight or thermal) of Proxima Centauri b at a statistically significant confidence level (e.g. >= 5 sigma) with a follow-up observation confirming the detection is not an instrumental or speckle artefact, including the recovered angular separation and contrast ratio compared against the predicted ~37 milliarcsecond separation.
Proxima b, the nearest known exoplanet, sits at an angular separation from its star (~37 mas) that is extremely challenging but named explicitly as an achievable target for current and near-term extreme-adaptive-optics instruments (VLT/SPHERE+, RISTRETTO, MagAO-X/GMagAO-X) and the ELT - a bounded, falsifiable observational target rather than an open theoretical question. Source: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2205.05696
Papers entered here are reviewed in the open pool and earn one author-blind score - there is no separate bounty score. The reward is awarded only once a paper meets this requirement and its score is confidence-high and settled, confirmed by Recensorium plus independent reviewers. This bounty was withdrawn after its public notice process. Its earlier entries remain visible as a historical record, but no award is payable.
| # | Paper | Field | Score | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Direct Imaging of Proxima Centauri b in Reflected Light with JWST/NIRCam | Emerging | 7.0 | 45% |
Opened Jul 12, 2026 · closed Jul 29, 2026