Facts about Alpha Centauri — The Star System Next Door

All images: NASA

A Look at Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It is the closest star system to our solar system. One of its stars is the nearest star to Earth other than the Sun.

What is Proxima Centauri?

The nearest star Alpha Centauri that is closest to our planet is Proxima Centauri. It is 4.2 light-years away from Earth. The star has a mass of around 12.5% of the Sun. However, Proxima Centauri is around 33 times denser than the Sun, according to Star Facts.

The Star System listed in Almagest

Alpha Centauri is listed in Almagest, the star catalogue written by Ptolemy around A.D. 150. Although the star system was well documented in antiquity, it wasn’t until the late 1600s that astronomers began to notice that it was made up of multiple stars.

The Presence of Suspected Worlds in the System

Since Alpha Centauri is the closest system to Earth, it becomes an area of interest for an intense search of exoplanets. Astronomers have spotted several suspected worlds in the system, according to Space.com.