... Credit: STSci Digitized Sky Survey, Anglo-Australian Observatory Explanation: The closest star system to the Sun is the Alpha Centauri system . ... 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 . ... 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. ...