|
Credit: T. J. Henry,
RECONS Team
Explanation:
Which stars are closest to the
Sun?
The closest is
Proxima Centauri, one of three stars that
orbit each other about 4 light-years away in the
Alpha-Centauri system.
Alpha Centauri
is easily visible from
Earth's Southern Hemisphere.
Next is
Barnard's Star, a dim star visible with a
telescope in the
constellation of Ophiuchus.
Sirius,
the brightest star in the night sky,
is part of the fifth closest star system,
from which light takes 8.6 years to reach us.
The nearest 25
star systems are shown on the
above map, out to 13
light-years.
Past that there are probably stars so dim that their
proximity has not yet been discovered.
Research continues
in trying to identify an
estimated 130 missing star systems out to 32 light-years.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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: Solar Neighborhood - stars - nearest stars
Publications with words: Solar Neighborhood - stars - nearest stars
See also: