Alpha Centauri (? Centauri, abbreviated Alf Cen or ? Cen) is the star system closest to the Solar System, being 1.34 parsecs (pc) from the Sun. It consists of three stars: Alpha Centauri A (also named Rigil Kentaurus) and Alpha Centauri B, which form the binary star Alpha Centauri AB, and a small and faint red dwarf, Alpha Centauri C (also named Proxima Centauri). To the unaided eye, the two main components appear as a single point of light with an apparent magnitude of -0.27, forming the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus and is the third-brightest star in the night sky, outshone only by Sirius and Canopus.
Alpha Centauri A (? Cen A) has 1.1 times the mass and 1.519 times the luminosity of the Sun, while Alpha Centauri B (? Cen B) is smaller and cooler, at 0.907 times the Sun's mass and 0.445 times its luminosity. During the pair's 79.91-year orbit about a common centre, the distance between them varies from nearly that between Pluto and the Sun (35.6 astronomical units, AU) to that between Saturn and the Sun (11.2 AU).
Even though it is not visible to the naked eye, Proxima Centauri (? Cen C) is the closest star to the Sun, with a distance of 4.24 light-years (1.30 pc). The separation of Proxima from Alpha Centauri AB is about 13,000 astronomical units (0.21 ly), equivalent to about 430 times the size of Neptune's orbit. Proxima Centauri b, an Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, was discovered in 2016.
Video Alpha Centauri
Nomenclature
? Centauri (Latinised to Alpha Centauri) is the system's Bayer designation. It bore the traditional name Rigil Kentaurus, which is a latinisation of the Arabic name ??? ????????? Rijl al-Qan??ris, meaning "Foot of the Centaur".
Alpha Centauri C was discovered in 1915 by Robert T. A. Innes, who suggested that it be named Proxima Centaurus, later amended to Proxima Centauri. The name is from Latin, meaning ' nearest [star] of Centaurus'.
In 2016, the Working Group on Star Names of the International Astronomical Union, having decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems, approved the names Rigil Kentaurus for Alpha Centauri A and Proxima Centauri for Alpha Centauri C.
Maps Alpha Centauri
Nature and components
Alpha Centauri is a multiple-star system, with its two main stars, Alpha Centauri A (? Cen A) and Alpha Centauri B (? Cen B), being the components of the binary ? Cen AB. To the naked eye, Alpha Centauri AB appears to be a single star, the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. At -0.27 apparent magnitude (combined for A and B magnitudes), Alpha Centauri is fainter only than Sirius and Canopus. A third member of the Alpha Centauri system--Proxima Centauri (or Proxima or ? Cen C)--is much further away than the distance between stars A and B. As viewed from Earth, it has an angular separation of 2.2° from the two main stars; Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima Centauri form a visual double star. Together, the three components make a triple star system, ? Cen AB-C.
The "AB" designation denotes the mass centre of a main binary system relative to companion star(s) in a multiple star system. "AB-C" refers to the orbit of Proxima around the central binary, being the distance between the centre of mass and the outlying companion. Some older references use the confusing and now discontinued designation of A×B. Because the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri AB does not differ significantly from either star, gravitationally this binary system is considered as if it were one object.
Asteroseismic studies, chromospheric activity, and stellar rotation (gyrochronology) are all consistent with the ? Cen system being similar in age to, or slightly older than, the Sun, with typical ages quoted between 4.5 and 7 billion years (Gyr). Asteroseismic analyses that incorporate tight observational constraints on the stellar parameters for ? Cen A and/or B have yielded age estimates of 4.85±0.5 Gyr, 5.0±0.5 Gyr, 5.2-7.1 Gyr, 6.4 Gyr, and 6.52±0.3 Gyr. Age estimates for stars A and B based on chromospheric activity (Calcium H & K emission) yield 4.4-6.5 Gyr, whereas gyrochronology yields 5.0±0.3 Gyr.
Alpha Centauri A
Alpha Centauri A is the principal member, or primary, of the binary system. It is a solar-like main-sequence star with a similar yellowish colour, whose stellar classification is spectral type G2 V; it is slightly larger and more luminous than the Sun. From the determined mutual orbital parameters, Alpha Centauri A is about 10 percent more massive than the Sun, with a radius about 22 percent larger. When considered among the individual brightest stars in the sky (excluding the Sun), Alpha Centauri A is the fourth brightest at an apparent magnitude of +0.01, being slightly fainter than Arcturus at an apparent magnitude of -0.04.
The type of magnetic activity on Alpha Centauri A is comparable to that of the Sun, showing coronal variability due to star spots, as modulated by the rotation of the star. However, since 2005 the activity level has fallen into a deep minimum that might be similar to the Sun's historical Maunder Minimum. Alternatively, it may have an over long stellar activity cycle and is slowly recovering from a minimum phase.
Alpha Centauri B
Alpha Centauri B is the companion star, or secondary, of the binary system. It is a main-sequence star of spectral type K1 V, making it more an orange colour than the primary star; it is slightly smaller and less luminous than the Sun. Alpha Centauri B is about 90 percent the mass of the Sun and 14 percent smaller in radius. Although it has a lower luminosity than component A, star B emits more energy in the X-ray band. The light curve of B varies on a short time scale and there has been at least one observed flare. Component B is more magnetically active than Alpha Centauri A, showing a cycle of 8.2±0.2 yr compared to 11 years for the Sun, and about half the minimum-to-peak contrast of the Sun. Alpha Centauri B at an apparent magnitude of 1.33 would be twenty-first in brightness if it could be seen independently of Alpha Centauri A.
Alpha Centauri C (Proxima Centauri)
Alpha Centauri C, also known as Proxima Centauri, is a red dwarf of spectral class M6 Ve, a small main-sequence star (Type V) with emission lines. Its B-V colour index is +1.82. It has an absolute magnitude of +15.60, which is only a small fraction of the Sun's luminosity. By mass, Proxima is calculated as 0.123±0.06 M? (rounded to 0.12 M?) or about one-eighth that of the Sun.
Alpha Centauri C is about 13,000 astronomical units (AU) away from Alpha Centauri AB. This is equivalent to 0.21 ly or 1.9 trillion km--about 5% the distance between Alpha Centauri AB and the Sun. Due to the large distance between Proxima and Alpha, it was long unknown whether they were gravitationally bound. Estimating its small orbital speed required precise measurement of the speeds of Proxima and Alpha. Otherwise it was impossible to ascertain whether Proxima is bound to Alpha or a completely unrelated star that happens to be undergoing a close approach at a low relative speed.
It was only in 2017 that precision radial velocity measurements showed, with a high degree of confidence, that Proxima and Alpha Centauri are gravitationally bound. The orbital period of Proxima is approximately 550,000 years, with an eccentricity of 0.50+0.08
-0.09. Proxima comes within 4300+1100
-900 AU of Alpha Centauri AB at periastron, and the apastron occurs at 13000+300
-100 AU.
Observation
The stars of the binary Alpha Centauri AB are too close together to be resolved by the naked eye. Their apparent angular separation varies over about 80 years between 2 and 22 arcsec (the naked eye has a resolution of 60 arcsec), but through much of the orbit, both are easily resolved in binoculars or small telescopes.
Alpha Centauri forms the outer star of The Pointers or The Southern Pointers, so called because the line through Beta Centauri (Hadar/Agena), some 4.5° west, points directly to the constellation Crux--the Southern Cross. The Pointers easily distinguish the true Southern Cross from the fainter asterism known as the False Cross.
South of about 29° S latitude, Alpha Centauri is circumpolar and never sets below the horizon. Both stars and Crux are too far south to be visible for mid-latitude northern observers. Below about 29° N latitude to the equator (roughly Hermosillo, Chihuahua City in Mexico, Galveston, Texas, Ocala, Florida and Lanzarote, the Canary Islands of Spain) during the northern summer, Alpha Centauri lies close to the southern horizon. The star culminates each year at local midnight on 24 April or local 9 p.m. on 8 June.
As seen from Earth, Proxima Centauri is 2.2° southwest from Alpha Centauri AB. This is about four times the angular diameter of the Moon, or approximately the distance between Alpha Centauri AB and Beta Centauri. Proxima appears as a deep-red star of an apparent magnitude of 11.1 in a sparsely populated star field, requiring moderately sized telescopes to see. Listed as V645 Cen in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars (G.C.V.S.) Version 4.2, this UV Ceti-type flare star can unexpectedly brighten rapidly by as much as 0.6 magnitudes at visual wavelengths, then fade after only a few minutes. Some amateur and professional astronomers regularly monitor for outbursts using either optical or radio telescopes. In August 2015, the largest recorded flares of the star occurred, with the star becoming 8.3 times brighter than normal on 13 August, in the B band (blue light region).
Observational history
Alpha Centauri is listed in the 2nd-century star catalog of Ptolemy. He gave the ecliptic coordinates, but texts differ as to whether the ecliptic latitude reads 44° 10? South or 41° 10? South. (Presently the ecliptic latitude is 43.5° South but it has decreased by a fraction of a degree since Ptolemy's time due to proper motion.) In Ptolemy's time, Alpha Centauri was visible from Alexandria, Egypt, at 31° N, but, due to precession, its declination is now -60° 51? South, and it can no longer be seen at that latitude.
English explorer Robert Hues brought Alpha Centauri to the attention of European observers in his 1592 work Tractatus de Globis, along with Canopus and Achernar, noting "Now, therefore, there are but three Stars of the first magnitude that I could perceive in all those parts which are never seene here in England. The first of these is that bright Star in the sterne of Argo which they call Canobus. The second is in the end of Eridanus. The third [Alpha Centauri] is in the right foote of the Centaure."
The binary nature of Alpha Centauri AB was recognised in December 1689 by Jean Richaud, while observing a passing comet from his station in Puducherry. Alpha Centauri was only the second binary star system to be discovered, preceded by Alpha Crucis.
The large proper motion of Alpha Centauri AB was discovered by Manuel John Johnson, observing from Saint Helena, who informed Thomas Henderson at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope of it. The parallax of Alpha Centauri was subsequently determined by Henderson from many exacting positional observations of the AB system between April 1832 and May 1833. He withheld his results, however, because he suspected they were too large to be true, but eventually published them in 1839 after Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel released his own accurately determined parallax for 61 Cygni in 1838. For this reason, Alpha Centauri is sometimes considered as the second star to have its distance measured because Henderson's work was not fully acknowledged at first. (The distance of Alpha is now reckoned at 4.396 ly or 41.59 trillion km.)
Later, John Herschel made the first micrometrical observations in 1834. Since the early 20th century, measures have been made with photographic plates.
By 1926, William Stephen Finsen calculated the approximate orbit elements close to those now accepted for this system. All future positions are now sufficiently accurate for visual observers to determine the relative places of the stars from a binary star ephemeris. Others, like D. Pourbaix (2002), have regularly refined the precision of new published orbital elements.
Alpha Centauri is inside the G-cloud, and its nearest known system is the binary brown dwarf system Luhman 16 at 3.6 ly (1.1 pc).
Robert T. A. Innes discovered Proxima Centauri in 1915 by blinking photographic plates taken at different times during a proper motion survey. These showed large proper motion and parallax similar in both size and direction to those of Alpha Centauri AB, suggesting that Proxima Centauri is part of the Alpha Centauri system and slightly closer to Earth than Alpha Centauri AB. Lying 4.24 ly (1.30 pc) away, Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to the Sun. All current derived distances for the three stars are from the parallaxes obtained from the Hipparcos star catalogue (HIP) and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Binary system
With the orbital period of 79.91 years, the A and B components of Alpha Centauri can approach each other to 11.2 AU (1.68 billion km), or about the mean distance between the Sun and Saturn; and may recede as far as 35.6 AU (5.33 billion km), approximately the distance from the Sun to Pluto. This is a consequence of the binary's moderate orbital eccentricity e = 0.5179. From the orbital elements, the total mass of both stars is about 2.0 M?--or twice that of the Sun. The average individual stellar masses are 1.09 M? and 0.90 M?, respectively, though slightly higher masses have been quoted in recent years, such as 1.14 M? and 0.92 M?, or totalling 2.06 M?. Alpha Centauri A and B have absolute magnitudes of +4.38 and +5.71, respectively. Stellar evolution theory implies both stars are slightly older than the Sun at 5 to 6 billion years, as derived by both mass and their spectral characteristics.
Viewed from Earth, the apparent orbit of A and B means that their separation and position angle (PA) are in continuous change throughout their projected orbit. Observed stellar positions in 2010 are separated by 6.74 arcsec through the PA of 245.7°, reducing to 6.04 arcsec through 251.8° in 2011. The closest recent approach was in February 2016, at 4.0 arcsec through 300°. The observed maximum separation of these stars is about 22 arcsec, while the minimum distance is 1.7 arcsec. The widest separation occurred during February 1976 and the next will be in January 2056.
In the true orbit, closest approach or periastron was in August 1955, and next in May 2035. Furthest orbital separation at apastron last occurred in May 1995 and the next will be in 2075. The apparent distance between the two stars is rapidly decreasing, at least until 2019.
Kinematics
All components of Alpha Centauri display significant proper motion against the background sky. Over the centuries, this causes their apparent positions to slowly change. Proper motion was unknown to ancient astronomers. Most assumed that the stars are immortal and permanently fixed on the celestial sphere, as stated in the works of the philosopher Aristotle. In 1718, Edmond Halley found that some stars had significantly moved from their ancient astrometric positions.
Thomas Henderson in the 1830s at the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope discovered the true distance to Alpha Centauri by analysing his many astrometric mural circle observations. He then realised this system also likely had a high proper motion. In this case, the apparent stellar motion was found using Nicolas Louis de Lacaille's astrometric observations of 1751-1752, by the observed differences between the two measured positions in different epochs.
The proper motion of the centre of mass of Alpha Centauri is about 3620 mas (milli-arcseconds per year toward the west and 694 mas/y toward the north, giving an overall motion of 3686 mas/y in a direction 11° north of west. The motion of the centre of mass is about 6.1 arcmin each century, or 1.02° each millennium. The velocity in the western direction is 23.0 km/s and in the northerly direction 4.4 km/s. Using spectroscopy the mean radial velocity has been determined to be around 22.4 km/s towards the Solar System.
Since ? Centauri A and B are almost exactly in the plane of the Milky Way as viewed from here, there are many stars behind them. In early May 2028, ? Centauri A will pass between us and a distant red star. There is a 45% probability that an Einstein ring may be observed. Other near conjunctions will also happen in the coming decades. These will allow accurate measurements of the proper motions of the components and may give information on planets.
Predicted future changes
As the stars of Alpha Centauri approach the Solar System, measured common proper motions and trigonometric parallaxes slowly increase. These small effects will change until the star system becomes closest to Earth, and begin reversing as the distance increases again. Furthermore, other small changes also occur with the binary star's orbital elements. For example, in the size of the semi-major axis of the orbital ellipse will increasing by 0.03 arcsec per century. Also the observed position angles of the stars are also subject to small cumulative changes (additional to position angle changes caused by the Precession of the Equinoxes), as first determined by W. H. van den Bos in 1926.
Based on knowing these common proper motions and radial velocities, Alpha Centauri will continue to gradually brighten, passing just north of the Southern Cross or Crux, before moving northwest and up towards the present celestial equator and away from the galactic plane. By about 29,700 AD, in the present-day constellation of Hydra, Alpha Centauri will be 1.00 pc or 3.3 ly away., though later calculations suggest 0.90 pc or 2.9 ly in 29,000 AD. At nearest approach, Alpha Centauri will attain a maximum apparent magnitude of -0.86, comparable to present-day magnitude of Canopus, but it will still not surpass that of Sirius, which will brighten incrementally over the next 60,000 years, and will continue to be the brightest star as seen from Earth for the next 210,000 years.
Viewed from the Earth in about AD 6200, Alpha Centauri will appear only about 43 arcmin (or one and a half diameters of the Moon) north of Beta Centauri. This will form a brilliant feature in the southern sky. Such a close approach of two first-magnitude stars will not occur again for a long time.
About 28,000 years from now, the Alpha Centauri system will begin to move away from the Solar System.
Planets
Proxima Centauri b
In August 2016, the European Southern Observatory announced the discovery of a planet slightly larger than the Earth orbiting Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri b was found using the radial velocity method, where periodic Doppler shifts of spectral lines of the host star suggest an orbiting object. The planet lies in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri.
Alpha Centauri Bb and Bc
In 2012, a planet around Alpha Centauri B was announced, but in 2015 a new analysis concluded that it almost certainly does not exist and was just a spurious artefact of the data analysis.
The existence of a planet, Alpha Centauri Bc, was announced in 2013. It has an estimated orbital period of approximately 12 Earth days - smaller than that of Mercury - with a semimajor axis of 0.10 AU and an eccentricity smaller than 0.24.
Possible detection of another planet
In 2015, transit results for Alpha Centauri B obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope were published. They evidence a transit event possibly corresponding to a planetary body with a radius around 0.92 R?. This planet would most likely orbit Alpha Centauri B with an orbital period of 20.4 days or less, with only a 5 percent chance of it having a longer orbit. The median of the likely orbits is 12.4 days with an impact parameter of around 0-0.3. Its orbit would likely have an eccentricity of 0.24 or less. Like the probably spurious Alpha Centauri Bb, it likely has lakes of molten lava and would be far too close to Alpha Centauri B to harbour life.
Possibility of additional planets
The discovery of planets orbiting other star systems, including similar binary systems (Gamma Cephei), raises the possibility that additional planets may exist in the Alpha Centauri system. Such planets could orbit Alpha Centauri A or Alpha Centauri B individually, or be on large orbits around the Alpha Centauri AB. Because both the principal stars are fairly similar to the Sun (for example, in age and metallicity), astronomers have been especially interested in making detailed searches for planets in the Alpha Centauri system. Several established planet-hunting teams have used various radial velocity or star transit methods in their searches around these two bright stars. All the observational studies have so far failed to find evidence for brown dwarfs or gas giants.
In 2009, computer simulations showed that a planet might have been able to form near the inner edge of Alpha Centauri B's habitable zone, which extends from 0.5 to 0.9 AU from the star. Certain special assumptions, such as considering that Alpha Centauri A and B may have initially formed with a wider separation and later moved closer to each other (as might be possible if they formed in a dense star cluster) would permit an accretion-friendly environment farther from the star. Bodies around A would be able to orbit at slightly farther distances due to A's stronger gravity. In addition, the lack of any brown dwarfs or gas giants in close orbits around A or B make the likelihood of terrestrial planets greater than otherwise. A theoretical study indicates that a radial velocity analysis might detect a hypothetical planet of 1.8 M? in the habitable zone of B.
Radial velocity measurements of Alpha Centauri B with High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher spectrograph ruled out planets of more than 4 M? to the distance of the habitable zone of the star (orbital period P = 200 days).
Current estimates place the probability of finding an earth-like planet around Alpha Centauri A or B at roughly 85%. The observational thresholds for planet detection in the habitable zones via the radial velocity method are currently (2017) estimated to be about 50 M? for Alpha Centauri A, 8 M? for B, and 0.5 M? for Proxima.
Theoretical planets
Early computer-generated models of planetary formation predicted the existence of terrestrial planets around both Alpha Centauri A and B, but most recent numerical investigations have shown that the gravitational pull of the companion star renders the accretion of planets difficult. Despite these difficulties, given the similarities to the Sun in spectral types, star type, age and probable stability of the orbits, it has been suggested that this stellar system could hold one of the best possibilities for harbouring extraterrestrial life on a potential planet.
In the Solar System, both Jupiter and Saturn were probably crucial in perturbing comets into the inner Solar System. Here, the comets provided the inner planets with their own source of water and various other ices. In the Alpha Centauri system, Proxima Centauri may have influenced the planetary disk as the Alpha Centauri system was forming, enriching the area around Alpha Centauri A and B with volatile materials. This would be discounted if, for example, Alpha Centauri B happened to have gas giants orbiting Alpha Centauri A (or conversely, Alpha Centauri A for Alpha Centauri B), or if the stars B and A themselves were able to perturb comets into each other's inner system as Jupiter and Saturn presumably have done in the Solar System. Such icy bodies probably also reside in Oort clouds of other planetary systems, when they are influenced gravitationally by either the gas giants or disruptions by passing nearby stars many of these icy bodies then travel starwards. Such ideas also apply to the close approach of Alpha Centauri or other stars to the Solar System, when in the distant future of our Oort Cloud may be disrupted enough to see increased numbers of active comets.
To be in the habitable zone, a planet around Alpha Centauri A would have an orbital radius of about 1.25 AU so as to have similar planetary temperatures and conditions for liquid water to exist. For the slightly less luminous and cooler Alpha Centauri B, the habitable zone is closer at about 0.7 AU (100 million km).
With the goal of finding evidence of such planets, both Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri AB were among the listed "Tier 1" target stars for NASA's Space Interferometry Mission (SIM). Detecting planets as small as three Earth-masses or smaller within two astronomical units of a "Tier 1" target would have been possible with this new instrument. The SIM mission, however, was cancelled due to financial issues in 2010.
Circumstellar discs
Based on observations between 2007 and 2012, a study found a slight excess of emissions in the 24 µm (mid/far-infrared) band surrounding ? Centauri AB, which may be interpreted as evidence for a sparse circumstellar disc or dense interplanetary dust. The total mass was estimated to be between 10-7 to 10-6 the mass of the Moon, or 10-100 times the mass of the Solar System's zodiacal cloud. If such a disc existed around both stars, ? Centauri A's disc would likely be stable to 2.8 AU, and ? Centauri B's would likely be stable to 2.5 AU. This would put A's disc entirely within the frost line, and a small part of B's outer disc just outside.
View from this system
Viewed from near the Alpha Centauri system, the sky would appear much as it does for an observer on Earth, except that Centaurus would be missing its brightest star. The Sun would be a yellow star of an apparent magnitude of +0.5 in eastern Cassiopeia, at the antipodal point of Alpha Centauri's current right ascension and declination, at 02h 39m 35s +60° 50? (2000). This place is close to the 3.4-magnitude star ? Cassiopeiae. Because of the placement of the Sun, an interstellar or alien observer would find the \/\/ of Cassiopeia had become a /\/\/ shape nearly in front of the Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia. Sirius lies less than a degree from Betelgeuse in the otherwise unmodified Orion and with a magnitude of -1.2 is a little fainter than from Earth but still the brightest star in the Alpha Centauri sky. Procyon is also displaced into the middle of Gemini, outshining Pollux, whereas both Vega and Altair are shifted northwestward relative to Deneb (which barely moves, due to its great distance), giving the Summer Triangle a more equilateral appearance.
From Proxima Centauri b
From Proxima Centauri b, Alpha Centauri AB would appear like two close bright stars with the combined apparent magnitude of -6.8. Depending on the binary's orbital position, the bright stars would appear noticeably divisible to the naked eye, or occasionally, but briefly, as a single unresolved star. Based on the calculated absolute magnitudes, the apparent magnitudes of Alpha Centauri A and B would be -6.5 and -5.2, respectively.
Other names
In modern literature, Rigil Kent (also Rigel Kent and variants; ) and Toliman, are used as colloquial alternative names of Alpha Centauri.
Rigil Kent is short for Rigil Kentaurus, which is sometimes further abbreviated to Rigil or Rigel, though that is ambiguous with Beta Orionis, which is also called Rigel.
The name Toliman originates with Jacobus Golius' edition of Al-Farghani's Compendium (published posthumously in 1669). Tolimân is Golius' latinisation of the Arabic name ???????? al-?ulm?n "the ostriches", the name of an asterism of which Alpha Centauri formed the main star.
During the 19th century, the northern amateur popularist Elijah H. Burritt used the now-obscure name Bungula, possibly coined from "?" and the Latin ungula ("hoof").
Together, Alpha and Beta Centauri form the "Southern Pointers" or "The Pointers", as they point towards the Southern Cross, the asterism of the constellation of Crux.
In Standard Mandarin Chinese, ?? Nán Mén, meaning Southern Gate, refers to an asterism consisting of ? Centauri and ? Centauri. Consequently, ? Centauri itself is known as ??? Nán Mén Èr, the Second Star of the Southern Gate.
To the Australian aboriginal Boorong people of northwestern Victoria, Alpha and Beta Centauri are Bermbermgle, two brothers noted for their courage and destructiveness, who speared and killed Tchingal "The Emu" (the Coalsack Nebula). The form in Wotjobaluk is Bram-bram-bult.
Exploration
Alpha Centauri is a likely first target for manned or unmanned interstellar exploration. Using current spacecraft technologies, crossing the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri would take several millennia, though the possibility of nuclear pulse propulsion or laser light sail technology, as considered in the Breakthrough Starshot program, could reduce the journey time to decades.
Breakthrough Starshot is a proof-of-concept initiative to send a fleet of ultra-fast light-driven nanocraft to explore the Alpha Centauri system, which could pave the way for a first launch within the next generation. An objective of the mission would be to make a fly-by of, and possibly photograph, planets that might exist in the system. Proxima Centauri b, announced by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in August 2016, would be a target for the Starshot program.
In January 2017, Breakthrough Initiatives and the ESO entered a collaboration to search for habitable planets in the Alpha Centauri system. The agreement involves Breakthrough Initiatives providing funding for an upgrade to the VISIR (VLT Imager and Spectrometer for mid-Infrared) instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. This upgrade will greatly increase the likelihood of planet detection in the system.
Distance
See also
- Alpha Centauri in fiction
- List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs
- Project Longshot
Notes
References
External links
- SIMBAD observational data
- Sixth Catalogue of Orbits of Visual Binary Stars U.S.N.O.
- The Imperial Star - Alpha Centauri
- Alpha Centauri - A Voyage to Alpha Centauri
- Immediate History of Alpha Centauri
- eSky : Alpha Centauri
Hypothetical planets or exploration
- "A Family Portrait of the Alpha Centauri System". SpaceRef.com. Retrieved 21 March 2003.
- Alpha Centauri System
- O Sistema Alpha Centauri (Portuguese)
- Alpha Centauri - Associação de Astronomia (Portuguese)
- Thompson, Andrea (7 March 2008). "Nearest Star System Might Harbor Earth Twin". SPACE.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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