"Alpha Centauri B is of course a very special case - it's our next door neighbour, " said Stephane Udry of the Observatory in Geneva and senior author of the paper.
It's not hard to envision ads showing up letting users know that there's a 2-for-1 drink special right around the corner, or that the restaurant next door has the best burger in town.
This may sound creepy to some, but it opens the door to mobile devices providing users with highly personalized benefits, from a special offer on a package you are looking at to a warning of a hazard on the road ahead.