Star
Alpha Centauri
Yellow star · G2V
α1 Centauri · Centaurus
Shown in its true colour — like most stars, it is too far away to photograph as more than a point of light.
Alpha Centauri is a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It consists of three stars: Rigil Kentaurus, Toliman, and Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun at 4.2465 light-years (ly), which is 1.3020 parsecs (pc), while Alpha Centauri A and B are the nearest stars visible to the naked eye.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~4.3 light-years
Apparent mag.
−0.01
Spectral type
G2V
Luminosity
1.5 × Sun
Absolute mag.
+4.38
Catalogue
HIP 71683
Spectral type
G2V
True colour from its B–V index (0.71): a surface around 5600 K.
Did you know
- Rigil Kentaurus is also known as α1 Centauri.
- Its spectral type G2V marks it as a yellow star.
- It lies in the constellation Centaurus.
