Alpha Centauri

From Conservapedia

Alpha Centauri (also known as Rigil Kentaurus) is the brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and the third brightest in the sky^[1]. Alpha Centauri is a binary star system consisting of Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, which to the unaided eye, appears as a single star. Alpha Centauri AB is the second closest star system to our Solar system

Contents 1 The stars 1.1 Alpha Centauri A 1.2 Alpha Centauri B 2 Proxima Centauri 3 Planets 4 Alpha Centauri in Fiction 5 Sources 6 References

The stars

The distance between Alpha Centauri A and B themselves averages some 23.7 AUs, but the orbit varies widely and the stars can approach as close as 11.4 AUs (about the distance of Saturn from our sun) and recede as far 36.0 AUs (about the distance from our sun to Pluto) away from each other in a highly elliptical orbit, which takes almost 80 years to complete.

Alpha Centauri A

Alpha Centauri A is the principle member or primary of the binary system. Much like our own sun, it is a main sequence dwarf star of spectral class G2V, but 10% more massive, with a diameter 23% larger, and is approximately 52 to 60 percent brighter then our own star^[2].

Alpha Centauri B

Alpha Centauri B is s the companion or secondary star of spectral type K1V, giving the cooler star a more orangish-yellow color. While having 93% of our star's mass and 86.5% of its diameter, Alpha Centauri B is only 45 to 52 percent as luminous as our own sun^[2].

Proxima Centauri

Proxima Centauri is low mass red dwarf star located some 12,000 AUs (0.21 light years or 1.94 trillion kilometers) away from the Alpha Centauri AB system. It is debated if Proxima Centauri is gravitationally bound to the other two stars or simply on a hyperbolic trajectory to reference to the other two stars^[3].

Planets

As the star system has a significantly higher metallicity than our own Solar System^[4], it is hypothesized that either star could have more then one terrestrial planet orbiting them, including in the habitable zone. Thus far no companion objects have been discovered around either star. In the latter half of 2008, a team of astronomers have began the arduous and difficult task of searching for terrestrial worlds around the stars using Earth based telescope observatories^[5]. Astronomers are also hoping that the upcoming NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) and the ESA's upcoming Darwin probe will be able to locate such worlds in the habitable zone.

Alpha Centauri in Fiction

The star system is a popular destination in science fiction, due to the close proximity to our own system and thus frequency referred to in various literature, television, animation, and games of the genre.

Sources

The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989

References