| Alpha Centauri (a Cen) |
|
The brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and the nearest bright star to the Sun,
at a distance of 4.34 light years. It is a visual binary star with an orbital period of
80 years. The two components are of spectral types G and K and have a combined magnitude
of -0.27. The eleventh magnitude star Proxima Centauri, though two degrees away on the sky,
is thought to be associated with this star system because it has a similar motion in space.
Proxima, a dim M star, is the nearest star to the Sun at a distance of 4.24 light years.
Alpha Centauri is also called by the Arabic name Rigil Kentaurus (sometimes Rigel, or
shortened to Rigil Kent), which means "the foot of the Centaur". An alternative name is
Toliman. See also: Table 3. |