Astronomy: Stars

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Alpha Centauri

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Alpha Centauri , brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and 3d-brightest star in the sky; also known as Rigil Kent or Rigil Kentaurus; 1992 position R.A. 14 ^h 39.1 ^m , Dec. -60°49′. It is a yellow main-sequence star of the same spectral class (G2 V) as the sun and of about the same size and mass; its apparent magnitude is -0.26. Actually, Alpha Centauri is a triple-star system, the components being designated A, B, and C. Alpha Centauri C is also called Proxima Centauri because it is the closest star to the earth (other than the sun), at a distance of 4.28 light-years, components A and B are currently 4.34 light-years away. Proxima Centauri orbits about the common center of mass of the system with a period of more than 250,000 years, so that in about 125,000 years it will be more distant than A and B.

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Alpha Centauri

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | Copyright

Alpha Centauri The closest star to the Sun, also known as Rigil Kentaurus. It is actually a triple system, consisting of a bright binary with a period of 80 years and a faint red dwarf 2° away called Proxima Centauri. The binary consists of a G2 dwarf of magnitude -0.01 and a K1 dwarf of magnitude 1.3. To the naked eye they appear as a single star of magnitude -0.28, the third‐brightest in the sky. The binary pair lie 4.39 l.y. from the Sun, 0.17 l.y. farther than Proxima Centauri.

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Alpha Centauri

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Alpha Centauri Brightest star in the constellation Centaurus, and the third-brightest star in the sky. It is a visual binary.

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