Space and Astronomy Atlas

How The Universe Works
Celestial Objects

Alpha Centauri

Triple Star System

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Alpha Centauri is the nearest star system to the Sun, a triple system in the southern constellation of Centaurus made up of the bright pair Alpha Centauri A and B, historically named Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman, and the faint red dwarf Proxima Centauri, the system's third component and the closest individual star to the Sun.

Facts
Object Type
Star system 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Includes

Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAlpha Centauri, lead section
Quote, Alpha Centauri, lead section
a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationIn Category: Celestial Objects, Alpha Centauri, Wikipedia summary
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Proxima Centauri, Proxima Centauri, gravitational binding section (Kervella et al. 2017)
Quote, Includes: Proxima Centauri, Proxima Centauri, gravitational binding section (Kervella et al. 2017)
Kervella et al. (2017) used high-precision radial velocity measurements to determine with a high degree of confidence that Proxima and Alpha Centauri are gravitationally bound.
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