Alpha Centauri Information
The brightest star in the constellation Centaurus is Alpha Centauri. Image Credit & Copyright: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Profile:
Age: 4.85 Billion Years
Type of each star:
• Proxima Centauri (M5)
• Alpha Centauri B (K1V)
• Alpha Centauri A (AG2V)
Mass of each star:
• Proxima Centauri - 244,647,000,000,000,000,000 billion kg (0.123 x Mass of the Sun)
• Alpha Centauri B - 1,804,023,000,000,000,000,000 billion kg (0.907x Mass of the sun)
• Alpha Centauri A - 2,187,900,000,000,000,000,000 billion kg (1.1x Mass of the Sun)
Surface Temperature: 5027 °C
Alpha Centauri is a system of three stars, and is the Sun's closest stellar neighbors. The two main stars making up the system are Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. The third star, which may or may not be a part of the system, is a red dwarf called Proxima Centuari. Its status as part of the system is questioned as it could be passing nearby without being a park of the system or it could be gravitationally bound.
The system, specifically Proxima Centauri (assuming it is a part of the system), is about 4.3 light years away from Earth, making it the closest star other than the sun. It is also the brightest star in the sky, obervable in the southern hemisphere.
Due to it's luminosity, it is easily seen from Earth's surface.
Where is it located in the Sagan Planet Walk?
The exhibit for Alpha Centauri, fitting with the 1-to-5 billion scale, is located at the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center on the University of Hawaii Hilo campus. When this center was installed, it made the Sagan Planet Walk the largest Exhibition in the world.