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Credit & Copyright: STSci Digitized Sky Survey, Anglo-Australian Observatory
Explanation:
The closest star system to the Sun is the
Alpha Centauri system. Of the
three stars in the system, the dimmest -- called Proxima Centauri -- is
actually the
nearest star. The bright stars Alpha Centauri A
and B form a close binary as they are separated by only 23 times the
Earth-
Sun
distance - slightly greater than the distance between
Uranus and the
Sun.
In the above picture, the brightness of the stars overwhelm
the photograph causing an illusion of great size, even though the stars are
really just small points of light. The Alpha Centauri system is not visible
in much of the northern hemisphere.
Alpha Centauri A, also known as
Rigil Kentaurus, is the brightest star in the
constellation of
Centaurus and is the
fourth brightest
star in the night sky.
Sirius is the brightest
even thought it is more than twice as far away. By an exciting
coincidence, Alpha Centauri A is the same type of star as our Sun,
causing many to speculate that it might contain planets that harbor life.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: star system
Publications with words: star system
See also: