Alpha Centauri System

Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our solar system, with 4.37 light years, or about 40 trillion kilometers away. This star system, which can only be observed from the Southern Hemisphere of our planet, is also the brightest star of the Earth's sky.

Alpha Centauri, a triple system; (two light years, ie 1.2 trillion kilometers away) with two stars of class K, one of which is near to each other (average 3.7 billion km), one of which is about G class and the other is slightly smaller, consists of a small pale red dwarf star named "proxima centauri".

Class G star (A) has a mass of 1.1 times the Sun and the lighting power is 1.5 times the Sun, while the K class star (B) has a mass of about 90% of the Sun and a lighting power of about half. The distant M-class red dwarf star (Proxima Centauri) is extremely small (12% of the Sun), so the Sun only emits up to 0.0017 of heat and light.

The two big stars wander around each other's common gravitational center for 80 years. A tour around these two of the distant red envy takes about 1 million years. Obviously, for those gazing on a planet around the big two stars, the Proxima Centauri must be so faint that it can hardly be picked up with the naked eye. You do not even seem to see it.

The estimated age of this system is almost the same as our sun; About 5 billion years. So if proper conditions exist, it is possible that there are planets similar to the Earth around the two big stars in the system, and that a life develops here. Also, both stars are quite welcoming, have enough life and sanity. We do not have much information about the nearest neighbors life and planets at this time.

However, although the system has not yet been approved around the K class orange star (Alpha Centauri B); We were able to explore a terrestrial planet close to Earth's mass. It is unlikely that this planet, which spans about 20 days, is too close to its star (about 21 million km), so there is no possibility of life on this planet that is fired from the heat.

If you have a planet at a distance that is suited to the lifebuilding around Alpha Centauri B, then the star B would look as bright as the Sun. Alpha Centauri, 3.7 billion kilometers away, will illuminate the planet as much as a 15-watt light bulb illuminates a small room.

Of course the distant star (A) will also lead to "annual" interesting events. During certain periods of the year, only the day of the planet will be in the sky. However, it can be easily seen even in daylight. In the other half of the year, the distant star will only be "born the night". Thus, half the year will be a dim night, and the weather will be almost dark. A similar situation also applies to possible planets around the other star (A).

When viewed from a planet in the Centauri system, the Sun; The nights are one of the brightest stars in the sky. So much so that, while the red dwarf star, the third member of the system, is barely selected with a binocular, the sun will take its place in the chest very brightly at night.

In the top visual created by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), we tried to portray a glimpse into the star system and our sun from the orbit of the planet around Alpha Centauri B.