Our nearest solar system is called Alpha Centauri. Researchers believe that one of the planets in this system is very similar to Earth and could therefore even harbour extraterrestrial life. Learn interesting facts about the Alpha Centauri star system here.
Next Solar System – Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri is a binary star system in the constellation of Centaur. It consists of the stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. It is sometimes referred to as a triple star system because of the presence of a red dwarf called Proxima Centauri near the other two stars. However, it has not been proven that Proxima Centauri is gravitationally bound to the star system.
- The two stars of Alpha Centauri cannot be seen separately with the naked eye – they appear as one star. Only with the help of telescopes or binoculars can you tell that they are multiple stars.
- The two main stars are about 4.2 light years away from Earth. This corresponds to about 40 trillion kilometres. This makes Alpha Centauri the closest star system to the Sun.
- Alpha Centauri is probably between 4.5 and 7 billion years old. By comparison, the Earth is about 4.6 billion years old.
- NASA is said to be planning a mission to explore Alpha Centauri in 2069. A probe would scan the star system for alien life while looking for habitable planets. However, it would take a spacecraft 44 years to reach the star system with current technology.
Alien life in the Alpha Centauri star system
There is a suggestion that alien life may exist in Alpha Centauri. The exoplanet Proxima B, which orbits the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, is very similar to Earth in its properties.
- The planet Proxima B was discovered back in 2016. It orbits Proxima Centauri at a much closer distance than Earth orbits the Sun.
- However, the red dwarf has only a fraction of the mass of our Sun and thus radiates much less energy. Proxima B could therefore have conditions similar to those on Earth.
- This raises the possibility that water could exist on the exoplanet and that extraterrestrial life could be possible on Proxima Centauri.
- However, the red dwarf is emitting a large amount of X-rays onto the planet. Proxima B is thought to have an atmosphere that protects life on the surface from the dangerous radiation.
