Neighbors
Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our own, is the bright yellow-orange star at left center in this view of the southern sky. The system consists of three stars, two of which are similar to the Sun. The third star, Proxima Centauri, is much smaller and fainter than the other two, but it is the closest of the three to Earth, at just 4.2 light-years. The bluish star to the upper right of Alpha Centauri is Beta Centauri, the second-brightest star of the southern constellation Centaurus. The Southern Cross forms a kite shape at the right of the image. [Claus Madsen/European Southern Observatory] For more information, see our April 14 program.
|
  |
Contact | About | Friends of McDonald | Sign up for Sky Tips
