The Sun's closest neighbors
Alpha Centauri is the nearest star system to the Sun, just over four light-years away in the southern constellation Centaurus. To the unaided eye it appears as a single brilliant point, but it is actually multiple stars.
A triple system
The system contains two Sun-like stars, Alpha Centauri A and B, orbiting each other, plus the faint red dwarf Proxima Centauri. Their nearness makes them prime targets for studying other stars in detail.
A southern sight
Alpha Centauri is a brilliant feature of the southern sky and, with nearby Beta Centauri, points toward the Southern Cross. It is not visible from most northern latitudes.
Knowledge connections
How this connects across Asteria Star — scientific, cultural, and astrological links are kept separate.
Scientific connections
- ContainsProxima Centauri
Related entries
You might also explore
- ExoplanetProxima Centauri bLinked through Proxima Centauri
- Atlas viewDistance & Scale ExplorerLinked through Proxima Centauri
- ExoplanetProxima Cen dLinked through Proxima Centauri
- Universe sceneThe Local Stellar Neighbourhood in 3DLinked through Proxima Centauri
- Star1 AquariiAlso a star
- Star1 Canis MinorisAlso a star