Alpha Centauri
Star system in the Centaurus constellation
Why this is trending
Interest in “Alpha Centauri” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-21.
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Key Takeaways
- Alpha Centauri ( α Centauri , α Cen , or Alpha Cen ) is a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus.
- Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun at 4.
- 3020 parsecs (pc), while Alpha Centauri A and B are the nearest stars visible to the naked eye.
- To the naked eye, these two main components appear to be a single star with an apparent magnitude of −0.
- α Centauri AB are the nearest binary stars to the Sun at a distance of 4.
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Source summary
WikipediaAlpha Centauri (α Centauri, α Cen, or Alpha Cen) is a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It consists of three stars: Rigil Kentaurus (α Centauri A), Toliman (α Centauri B), and Proxima Centauri (α Centauri C). Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun at 4.2465 light-years (ly), which is 1.3020 parsecs (pc), while Alpha Centauri A and B are the nearest stars visible to the naked eye.
Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman are Sun-like stars (class G and K, respectively) that together form the binary star system α Centauri AB. To the naked eye, these two main components appear to be a single star with an apparent magnitude of −0.27. It is the brightest star in the constellation and the third-brightest in the night sky, outshone by only Sirius and Canopus. α Centauri AB are the nearest binary stars to the Sun at a distance of 4.344 ly (1.33 pc).
Rigil Kentaurus has 1.1 times the mass (M☉) and 1.5 times the luminosity of the Sun (L☉), while Toliman is smaller and cooler, at 0.9 M☉ and less than 0.5 L☉. The pair orbit around a common centre with an orbital period of 79 years. Their elliptical orbit is eccentric, so that the distance between A and B varies from 35.6 astronomical units (AU), or about the distance between Pluto and the Sun, to 11.2 AU, or about the distance between Saturn and the Sun.
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