Alpha Centauri

Star systemTemplate:SHORTDESC:Star system

**Alpha Centauri** (**α Centauri**, abbreviated **Alf Cen** or **α Cen**) is the star system closest to the Solar System, being 4.37 light-years (1.34 pc) from the Sun. It consists of three stars: Alpha Centauri A (also named **Rigil Kentaurus**) and Alpha Centauri B (also named **Toliman**), which form the binary star Alpha Centauri AB, and a small and faint red dwarf, Alpha Centauri C (also named Proxima Centauri). To the unaided eye, the two main components appear as a single point of light with an apparent magnitude of −0.27, forming the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus and is the third-brightest star in the night sky, outshone only by Sirius and Canopus.

Alpha Centauri A has 1.1 times the mass and 1.519 times the luminosity of the Sun, while Alpha Centauri B is smaller and cooler, at 0.907 times the Sun's mass and 0.445 times its luminosity. During the pair's 79.91-year orbit about a common centre, the distance between them varies from nearly that between Pluto and the Sun (35.6 astronomical units, AU) to that between Saturn and the Sun (11.2 AU).

Though not visible to the naked eye, Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun, at a distance of 4.24 light-years (1.30 pc). The distance between Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri AB is about 13,000 astronomical units (0.21 ly), equivalent to about 430 times the radius of Neptune's orbit. Proxima Centauri b, an Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, was discovered in 2016.

## Nomenclature

*α Centauri* (Latinised to *Alpha Centauri*) is the system's Bayer designation. It bore the traditional name *Rigil Kentaurus*, which is a latinisation of the Arabic name رجل القنطورس‎ *Rijl al-Qanṭūris,* meaning "Foot of the Centaur".

*Alpha Centauri C* was discovered in 1915 by Robert T. A. Innes, who suggested that it be named *Proxima Centaurus*, later amended to *Proxima Centauri*. The name is from Latin, meaning ' nearest [star] of Centaurus'.

In 2016, the Working Group on Star Names of the International Astronomical Union, having decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems, approved the names *Rigil Kentaurus* for *Alpha Centauri A* and *Proxima Centauri* for *Alpha Centauri C*.. In 10 August 2018, IAU approved the name *Toliman* for *Alpha Centauri B*

## Nature and components

 File:Alpha Centauri relative sizes.svg
Alpha Centauri is a multiple-star system, with its two main stars, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, being the components of the binary. To the naked eye, Alpha Centauri AB appears to be a single star, the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. At −0.27 apparent magnitude (combined for A and B magnitudes), Alpha Centauri is fainter only than Sirius and Canopus. A third member of the Alpha Centauri system—Proxima Centauri—is much further away than the distance between stars A and B. As viewed from Earth, it has an angular separation of 2.2° from the two main stars; Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima Centauri form a visual double star. Together, the three components make a triple star system.

The "AB" designation, or older "A×B", denotes the mass centre of a main binary system relative to companion star(s) in a multiple star system. "AB-C" refers to the component of Proxima Centauri in relation to the central binary, being the distance between the centre of mass and the outlying companion. Because the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri AB is insignificant from either star, so gravitationally this binary system is considered as if it were one single object.

Asteroseismic studies, chromospheric activity, and stellar rotation (gyrochronology) are all consistent with the α Cen system being similar in age to, or slightly older than, the Sun, with typical ages quoted between 4.5 and 7 billion years (Gyr). Asteroseismic analyses that incorporate tight observational constraints on the stellar parameters for α Cen A and/or B have yielded age estimates of 7000484999999999999♠4.85±0.5 Gyr, 7000500000000000000♠5.0±0.5 Gyr, 5.2–7.1 Gyr, 6.4 Gyr, and 7000652000000000000♠6.52±0.3 Gyr. Age estimates for stars A and B based on chromospheric activity (Calcium H & K emission) yield 4.4–6.5 Gyr, whereas gyrochronology yields 7000500000000000000♠5.0±0.3 Gyr.

### Alpha Centauri A

Alpha Centauri A is the principal member, or *primary*, of the binary system. It is a solar-like main-sequence star with a similar yellowish colour, whose stellar classification is spectral type G2 V; it is slightly larger and more luminous than the Sun. From the determined mutual orbital parameters, Alpha Centauri A is about 10 percent more massive than the Sun, with a radius about 22 percent larger. When considered among the individual brightest stars in the sky (excluding the Sun), Alpha Centauri A is the fourth brightest at an apparent magnitude of +0.01, being slightly fainter than Arcturus at an apparent magnitude of −0.04.

The type of magnetic activity on Alpha Centauri A is comparable to that of the Sun, showing coronal variability due to star spots, as modulated by the rotation of the star. However, since 2005 the activity level has fallen into a deep minimum that might be similar to the Sun's historical Maunder Minimum. Alternatively, it may have an over long stellar activity cycle and is slowly recovering from a minimum phase.

### Alpha Centauri B

Alpha Centauri B is the companion star, or *secondary*, of the binary system. It is a main-sequence star of spectral type K1 V, making it more an orange colour than the primary star; it is slightly smaller and less luminous than the Sun. Alpha Centauri B is about 90 percent the mass of the Sun and 14 percent smaller in radius. Although it has a lower luminosity than component A, star B emits more energy in the X-ray band. The light curve of B varies on a short time scale and there has been at least one observed flare. Component B is more magnetically active than Alpha Centauri A, showing a cycle of 7008258772319999999♠8.2±0.2 yr compared to 11 years for the Sun, and about half the minimum-to-peak variation in coronal luminosity of the Sun.

### Alpha Centauri C (Proxima Centauri)

Alpha Centauri C, also known as Proxima Centauri, is a red dwarf of spectral class M6 Ve, a small main-sequence star (Type V) with emission lines. Its B−V colour index is +1.82. It has an absolute magnitude of +15.60, which is only a small fraction of the Sun's luminosity. By mass, Proxima Centauri is calculated as 6999123000000000000♠0.123±0.06 M☉.

Alpha Centauri C is about 13,000 astronomical units (AU) away from Alpha Centauri AB. This is equivalent to 0.21 ly or 1.9 trillion km—about 5% the distance between Alpha Centauri AB and the Sun. Due to the large distance between Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri, it was long unknown whether they were gravitationally bound. Estimating its small orbital speed required precise measurement of the speeds of Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri. Otherwise it was impossible to ascertain whether Proxima Centauri is bound to Alpha Centauri or an unrelated star that happens to be undergoing a close approach at a low relative speed.

It was only in 2017 that precision radial velocity measurements showed, with a high degree of confidence, that Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri are gravitationally bound. The orbital period of Proxima Centauri is approximately 550,000 years, with an eccentricity of 6999500000000000000♠0.50+0.08
−0.09. Proxima Centauri comes within 7014643270844010000♠4300+1100
−900 AU of Alpha Centauri AB at periastron, and the apastron occurs at 7015194477231910000♠13000+300
−100 AU.

 File:Relative positions of Sun, Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima Centauri.png

## Observation

Alpha Centauri is located in 100x100Alpha Centauri
The stars of the binary Alpha Centauri AB are too close together to be resolved by the naked eye. Their apparent angular separation varies over about 80 years between 2 and 22 arcsec (the naked eye has a resolution of 60 arcsec), but through much of the orbit, both are easily resolved in binoculars or small telescopes.

Alpha Centauri forms the outer star of *The Pointers* or *The Southern Pointers*, so called because the line through Beta Centauri (Hadar/Agena),
some 4.5° west, points directly to the constellation Crux—the Southern Cross. The Pointers easily distinguish the true Southern Cross from the fainter asterism known as the False Cross.

 File:Our Nearest Star System Observed Live.jpg
 File:Alpha-Centauri-daylight.png
South of about 29° S latitude, Alpha Centauri is circumpolar and never sets below the horizon. Both stars and Crux are too far south to be visible for mid-latitude northern observers. Below about 29° N latitude to the equator (roughly Hermosillo, Chihuahua City in Mexico, Galveston, Texas, Ocala, Florida and Lanzarote, the Canary Islands of Spain) during the northern summer, Alpha Centauri lies close to the southern horizon. The star culminates each year at local midnight on 24 April and at local 9 p.m. on 8 June.

As seen from Earth, Proxima Centauri is 2.2° southwest from Alpha Centauri AB. This is about four times the angular diameter of the Moon, or approximately the distance between Alpha Centauri AB and Beta Centauri. Proxima Centauri appears as a deep-red star of an apparent magnitude of 11.1 in a sparsely populated star field, requiring moderately sized telescopes to be seen. Listed as V645 Cen in the *General Catalogue of Variable Stars Version 4.2*, this UV Ceti-type flare star can unexpectedly brighten rapidly by as much as 0.6 magnitudes at visual wavelengths, then fade after only a few minutes. Some amateur and professional astronomers regularly monitor for outbursts using either optical or radio telescopes. In August 2015, the largest recorded flares of the star occurred, with the star becoming 8.3 times brighter than normal on 13 August, in the B band (blue light region).

## Observational history

 File:The bright star Alpha Centauri and its surroundings.jpg
Alpha Centauri is listed in the 2nd-century star catalog of Ptolemy. He gave the ecliptic coordinates, but texts differ as to whether the ecliptic latitude reads 44° 10′ South or 41° 10′ South. (Presently the ecliptic latitude is 43.5° South but it has decreased by a fraction of a degree since Ptolemy's time due to proper motion.) In Ptolemy's time, Alpha Centauri was visible from Alexandria, Egypt, at 31° N, but, due to precession, its declination is now –60° 51′ South, and it can no longer be seen at that latitude.

English explorer Robert Hues brought Alpha Centauri to the attention of European observers in his 1592 work *Tractatus de Globis*, along with Canopus and Achernar, noting "Now, therefore, there are but three Stars of the first magnitude that I could perceive in all those parts which are never seene here in England. The first of these is that bright Star in the sterne of Argo which they call Canobus. The second is in the end of Eridanus. The third [Alpha Centauri] is in the right foote of the Centaure."

The binary nature of Alpha Centauri AB was recognised in December 1689 by Jean Richaud, while observing a passing comet from his station in Puducherry. Alpha Centauri was only the second binary star to be discovered, preceded by Alpha Crucis.

The large proper motion of Alpha Centauri AB was discovered by Manuel John Johnson, observing from Saint Helena, who informed Thomas Henderson at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope of it. The parallax of Alpha Centauri was subsequently determined by Henderson from many exacting positional observations of the AB system between April 1832 and May 1833. He withheld his results, however, because he suspected they were too large to be true, but eventually published them in 1839 after Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel released his own accurately determined parallax for 61 Cygni in 1838. For this reason, Alpha Centauri is sometimes considered as the second star to have its distance measured because Henderson's work was not fully acknowledged at first. (The distance of Alpha is now reckoned at 4.396 ly or 41.59 trillion km.)

Later, John Herschel made the first micrometrical observations in 1834. Since the early 20th century, measures have been made with photographic plates.

 File:Best image of Alpha Centauri A and B.jpg
By 1926, William Stephen Finsen calculated the approximate orbit elements close to those now accepted for this system. All future positions are now sufficiently accurate for visual observers to determine the relative places of the stars from a binary star ephemeris. Others, like D. Pourbaix (2002), have regularly refined the precision of new published orbital elements.

Alpha Centauri is inside the G-cloud, and its nearest known system is the binary brown dwarf system Luhman 16 at 3.6 ly (1.1 pc).

Robert T. A. Innes discovered Proxima Centauri in 1915 by blinking photographic plates taken at different times during a proper motion survey. These showed large proper motion and parallax similar in both size and direction to those of Alpha Centauri AB, suggesting that Proxima Centauri is part of the Alpha Centauri system and slightly closer to Earth than Alpha Centauri AB. Lying 4.24 ly (1.30 pc) away, Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to the Sun. All current derived distances for the three stars are from the parallaxes obtained from the Hipparcos star catalogue (HIP) and the Hubble Space Telescope.

## Binary system

 File:Orbit Alpha Centauri AB arcsec.png
The A and B components of Alpha Centauri have an orbital period of 79.91 years. Their orbit is moderately eccentric, *e* = 0.5179; their closest approach is 11.2 AU (1.68 billion km), or about the distance between the Sun and Saturn; and their furthest separation is 35.6 AU (5.33 billion km), about the distance between the Sun and Pluto. From the orbital elements, the total mass of both stars is about 2.0 M☉—or twice that of the Sun. The average individual stellar masses are 1.09 M☉ and 0.90 M☉, respectively, though slightly higher masses have been quoted in recent years, such as 1.14 M☉ and 0.92 M☉, or totalling 2.06 M☉. Alpha Centauri A and B have absolute magnitudes of +4.38 and +5.71, respectively. Stellar evolution theory implies both stars are slightly older than the Sun at 5 to 6 billion years, as derived by both mass and their spectral characteristics.

Viewed from Earth, the *apparent orbit* of A and B means that their separation and position angle (PA) are in continuous change throughout their projected orbit. Observed stellar positions in 2010 are separated by 6.74 arcsec through the PA of 245.7°, reducing to 6.04 arcsec through 251.8° in 2011. The closest recent approach was in February 2016, at 4.0 arcsec through 300°. The observed maximum separation of these stars is about 22 arcsec, while the minimum distance is 1.7 arcsec. The widest separation occurred during February 1976 and the next will be in January 2056.

In the *true orbit*, closest approach or periastron was in August 1955, and next in May 2035. Furthest orbital separation at apastron last occurred in May 1995 and the next will be in 2075. The apparent distance between the two stars is rapidly decreasing, at least until 2019.

## Kinematics

 File:PIA18003-NASA-WISE-StarsNearSun-20140425-2.png
All components of Alpha Centauri display significant proper motion against the background sky. Over centuries, this causes their apparent positions to slowly change. Proper motion was unknown to ancient astronomers. Most assumed that the stars are immortal and permanently fixed on the celestial sphere, as stated in the works of the philosopher Aristotle. In 1718, Edmond Halley found that some stars had significantly moved from their ancient astrometric positions.

Thomas Henderson in the 1830s at the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope discovered the true distance to Alpha Centauri by analysing his many astrometric mural circle observations. He then realised this system also likely had a high proper motion. In this case, the apparent stellar motion was found using Nicolas Louis de Lacaille's astrometric observations of 1751–1752, by the observed differences between the two measured positions in different epochs.

Calculated proper motion of the centre of mass for Alpha Centauri AB is about 3620 mas (milli-arcseconds per year toward the west and 694 mas/y toward the north, giving an overall motion of 3686 mas/y in a direction 11° north of west. The motion of the centre of mass is about 6.1 arcmin each century, or 1.02° each millennium. The velocity in the western direction is 23.0 km/s and in the northerly direction 4.4 km/s. Using spectroscopy the mean radial velocity has been determined to be around 22.4 km/s towards the Solar System.

Since α Centauri A and B are almost exactly in the plane of the Milky Way as viewed from here, there are many stars behind them. In early May 2028, α Centauri A will pass between us and a distant red star, when there will be a 45% probability that an Einstein ring will be observed. Other conjunctions will also occur in the coming decades, allowing accurate measurement of proper motions and possibly giving information on planets.

### Predicted future changes

 File:Near-stars-past-future-en.svg
 File:Alpha Cen proper motions.gif
As the stars of Alpha Centauri move closer the Solar System, measured proper motions, trigonometric parallaxes and radial velocities slowly increase.
These small effects will change until the star system becomes nearest to Earth, and begin reversing as the distance increases again. Furthermore, other small changes also occur with the binary star's orbital elements. For example, in the apparent size of the semi-major axis of the orbital ellipse will increasing by 0.03 arcsec per century. Also the observed position angles of the stars are also subject to small cumulative changes (additional to position angle changes caused by the Precession of the Equinoxes), as first determined by W. H. van den Bos in 1926.

 File:Motion-of-Alpha-Cen.jpg
Based on knowing the system's common proper motion and radial velocities, Alpha Centauri will continue to significantly change its position in the sky and will gradually brighten. For example, in about 6,200 AD, Alpha Centauri's true motion will cause an extremely rare first-magnitude stellar conjunction with Beta Centauri, forming a brilliant optical double star in the southern sky.. It will then pass just north of the Southern Cross or Crux, before moving northwest and up towards the present celestial equator and away from the galactic plane. By about 29,700 AD, in the present-day constellation of Hydra, Alpha Centauri will be 1.00 pc or 3.3 ly away., though later calculations suggest 0.90 pc or 2.9 ly in 29,000 AD. At nearest approach, Alpha Centauri will attain a maximum apparent magnitude of −0.86, comparable to present-day magnitude of Canopus, but it will still not surpass that of Sirius, which will brighten incrementally over the next 60,000 years, and will continue to be the brightest star as seen from Earth for the next 210,000 years.

About 28,000 years from now, the Alpha Centauri system will begin to slowly move away from the Solar System, and show a positive radial velocity. Due to visual perspective, these stars in the future will reach a final vanishing point and slowly disappear among the countless stars of the Milky Way. Here this once bright yellow star will fall below naked-eye visibility.

## Planets

### Proxima Centauri b

In August 2016, the European Southern Observatory announced the discovery of a planet slightly larger than the Earth orbiting Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri b was found using the radial velocity method, where periodic Doppler shifts of spectral lines of the host star suggest an orbiting object. The planet lies in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri.

### Alpha Centauri Bb and Bc

In 2012, a planet around Alpha Centauri B was announced, but in 2015 a new analysis concluded that it almost certainly does not exist and was just a spurious artefact of the data analysis.

The existence of a planet, Alpha Centauri Bc, was announced in 2013. It has an estimated orbital period of approximately 12 Earth days – smaller than that of Mercury – with a semimajor axis of 0.10 AU and an eccentricity smaller than 0.24.

### Possible detection of another planet

In 2015, transit results for Alpha Centauri B obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope were published. They evidence a transit event possibly corresponding to a planetary body with a radius around 0.92 R⊕. This planet would most likely orbit Alpha Centauri B with an orbital period of 20.4 days or less, with only a 5 percent chance of it having a longer orbit. The median of the likely orbits is 12.4 days with an impact parameter of around 0–0.3. Its orbit would likely have an eccentricity of 0.24 or less. Like the probably spurious Alpha Centauri Bb, it likely has lakes of molten lava and would be far too close to Alpha Centauri B to harbour life.

### Possibility of additional planets

Additional planets may exist in the Alpha Centauri system, either orbiting Alpha Centauri A or Alpha Centauri B individually, or be on large orbits around the Alpha Centauri AB. Because both the principal stars are fairly similar to the Sun (for example, in age and metallicity), astronomers have been especially interested in making detailed searches for planets in the Alpha Centauri system.[*who?*] Several established planet-hunting teams have used various radial velocity or star transit methods in their searches around these two bright stars. All the observational studies have so far failed to find evidence for brown dwarfs or gas giants.

In 2009, computer simulations showed that a planet might have been able to form near the inner edge of Alpha Centauri B's habitable zone, which extends from 0.5 to 0.9 AU from the star. Certain special assumptions, such as considering that Alpha Centauri A and B may have initially formed with a wider separation and later moved closer to each other (as might be possible if they formed in a dense star cluster) would permit an accretion-friendly environment farther from the star. Bodies around A would be able to orbit at slightly farther distances due to A's stronger gravity. In addition, the lack of any brown dwarfs or gas giants in close orbits around A or B make the likelihood of terrestrial planets greater than otherwise. A theoretical study indicates that a radial velocity analysis might detect a hypothetical planet of 1.8 M⊕ in the habitable zone of B.

Radial velocity measurements of Alpha Centauri B with High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher spectrograph ruled out planets of more than 4 M⊕ to the distance of the habitable zone of the star (orbital period P = 200 days).

Current estimates place the probability of finding an earth-like planet around Alpha Centauri A or B at roughly 85%. The observational thresholds for planet detection in the habitable zones via the radial velocity method are currently (2017) estimated to be about 50 M⊕ for Alpha Centauri A, 8 M⊕ for B, and 0.5 M⊕ for Proxima.

### Theoretical planets

Early computer-generated models of planetary formation predicted the existence of terrestrial planets around both Alpha Centauri A and B, but most recent numerical investigations have shown that the gravitational pull of the companion star renders the accretion of planets difficult. Despite these difficulties, given the similarities to the Sun in spectral types, star type, age and probable stability of the orbits, it has been suggested that this stellar system could hold one of the best possibilities for harbouring extraterrestrial life on a potential planet.

In the Solar System, both Jupiter and Saturn were probably crucial in perturbing comets into the inner Solar System. Here, the comets provided the inner planets with their own source of water and various other ices. In the Alpha Centauri system, Proxima Centauri may have influenced the planetary disk as the Alpha Centauri system was forming, enriching the area around Alpha Centauri A and B with volatile materials. This would be discounted if, for example, Alpha Centauri B happened to have gas giants orbiting Alpha Centauri A (or conversely, Alpha Centauri A for Alpha Centauri B), or if the stars B and A themselves were able to perturb comets into each other's inner system as Jupiter and Saturn presumably have done in the Solar System. Such icy bodies probably also reside in Oort clouds of other planetary systems, when they are influenced gravitationally by either the gas giants or disruptions by passing nearby stars many of these icy bodies then travel starwards. Such ideas also apply to the close approach of Alpha Centauri or other stars to the Solar System, when, in the distant future, the Oort Cloud might be disrupted enough to increase the number of active comets.

To be in the habitable zone, a planet around Alpha Centauri A would have an orbital radius of about 1.25 AU [*citation needed*] so as to have similar planetary temperatures and conditions for liquid water to exist. For the slightly less luminous and cooler Alpha Centauri B, the habitable zone is closer at about 0.7 AU (100 million km).

With the goal of finding evidence of such planets, both Proxima Centauri and Alpha Centauri AB were among the listed "Tier 1" target stars for NASA's Space Interferometry Mission (SIM). Detecting planets as small as three Earth-masses or smaller within two astronomical units of a "Tier 1" target would have been possible with this new instrument. The SIM mission, however, was cancelled due to financial issues in 2010.

### Circumstellar discs

Based on observations between 2007 and 2012, a study found a slight excess of emissions in the 24 µm (mid/far-infrared) band surrounding α Centauri AB, which may be interpreted as evidence for a sparse circumstellar disc or dense interplanetary dust. The total mass was estimated to be between 10−7 to 10−6 the mass of the Moon, or 10–100 times the mass of the Solar System's zodiacal cloud. If such a disc existed around both stars, α Centauri A's disc would likely be stable to 2.8 AU, and α Centauri B's would likely be stable to 2.5 AU. This would put A's disc entirely within the frost line, and a small part of B's outer disc just outside.

## View from this system

 File:Sky-from-alpha-centauri.jpg
The sky from Alpha Centauri would appear much as it does from the Earth, except that Centaurus would be missing its brightest star. The Sun would be a yellow star of apparent magnitude +0.5 in eastern Cassiopeia, at the antipodal point of Alpha Centauri's current right ascension and declination, at 02h 39m 35s +60° 50′ (2000), close to the 3.4-magnitude star ε Cassiopeiae. With the placement of the Sun, the \/\/ of Cassiopeia would appear as a /\/\/ shape, nearly in front of the Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia. Sirius would lie less than a degree from Betelgeuse in Orion, and with a magnitude of −1.2, it would be a little fainter than from Earth but still the brightest star in the sky. Procyon would be displaced into the middle of Gemini, outshining Pollux, whereas both Vega and Altair would be shifted northwestward relative to Deneb, giving the Summer Triangle a more equilateral appearance.

### From Proxima Centauri b

From Proxima Centauri b, Alpha Centauri AB would appear like two close bright stars with a combined apparent magnitude of −6.8. Depending on the binary's orbital position, the binary stars would be resolvable to the naked eye, but occasionally and briefly, as a single unresolved single star. The apparent magnitudes of Alpha Centauri A and B would be −6.5 and −5.2, respectively.

## Other names

In modern literature, *Rigil Kent* (also *Rigel Kent* and variants; /ˈraɪdʒəl ˈkɛnt/) and *Toliman*, are used as colloquial alternative names of Alpha Centauri (then become the proper name of Alpha Centauri B in 10 August 2018 by approval of IAU).

*Rigil Kent* is short for *Rigil Kentaurus*, which is sometimes further abbreviated to *Rigil* or *Rigel*, though that is ambiguous with Beta Orionis, which is also called Rigel.

The name *Toliman* originates with Jacobus Golius' 1669 edition of Al-Farghani's *Compendium*. *Tolimân* is Golius' latinisation of the Arabic name الظلمان‎ *al-Ẓulmān* "the ostriches", the name of an asterism of which Alpha Centauri formed the main star.

During the 19th century, the northern amateur popularist Elijah H. Burritt used the now-obscure name *Bungula*, possibly coined from "β" and the Latin *ungula* ("hoof").

Together, Alpha and Beta Centauri form the "Southern Pointers" or "The Pointers", as they point towards the Southern Cross, the asterism of the constellation of Crux.

In Standard Mandarin Chinese, 南門 *Nán Mén*, meaning *Southern Gate*, refers to an asterism consisting of α Centauri and ε Centauri. Consequently, α Centauri itself is known as 南門二 *Nán Mén Èr*, the Second Star of the Southern Gate.

To the Australian aboriginal Boorong people of northwestern Victoria, Alpha and Beta Centauri are *Bermbermgle*, two brothers noted for their courage and destructiveness, who speared and killed *Tchingal* "The Emu" (the Coalsack Nebula). The form in Wotjobaluk is *Bram-bram-bult*.

## Exploration

 File:The Very Large Telescope and the star system Alpha Centauri.jpg

Alpha Centauri is a likely first target for manned or unmanned interstellar exploration. Using current spacecraft technologies, crossing the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri would take several millennia, though the possibility of nuclear pulse propulsion or laser light sail technology, as considered in the Breakthrough Starshot program, could reduce the journey time to decades.

Breakthrough Starshot is a proof-of-concept initiative to send a fleet of ultra-fast light-driven nanocraft to explore the Alpha Centauri system, which could pave the way for a first launch within the next generation. An objective of the mission would be to make a fly-by of, and possibly photograph, planets that might exist in the system. Proxima Centauri b, announced by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in August 2016, would be a target for the Starshot program.

In January 2017, Breakthrough Initiatives and the ESO entered a collaboration to search for habitable planets in the Alpha Centauri system. The agreement involves Breakthrough Initiatives providing funding for an upgrade to the VISIR (VLT Imager and Spectrometer for mid-Infrared) instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. This upgrade will greatly increase the likelihood of planet detection in the system.

## See also

* Alpha Centauri in fiction
* List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs
* Project Longshot

## Notes

1. ↑ The coordinates of the Sun would be diametrically opposite Alpha Centauri AB, at *α*=02h 39m 36.4951s, *δ*=+60° 50′ 02.308″
2. ↑ Spellings include *Rigjl Kentaurus*, Hyde T., "Ulugh Beighi Tabulae Stellarum Fixarum", *Tabulae Long. ac Lat. Stellarum Fixarum ex Observatione Ulugh Beighi*, Oxford, 1665, p. 142., Hyde T., "In Ulugh Beighi Tabulae Stellarum Fixarum Commentarii", *op. cit.*, p. 67., Portuguese *Riguel Kentaurus* da Silva Oliveira, R., "Crux Australis: o Cruzeiro do Sul" Archived 6 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine., Artigos: Planetario Movel Inflavel AsterDomus.
3. ↑ Weighted parallax based on parallaxes from van Altena *et al.* (1995) and Söderhjelm (1999).

## References

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2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 **Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 **Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 **Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 **Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 **Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
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46. ↑ This is calculated for a fixed latitude by knowing the star's declination (δ) using the formulae (90°+ δ). Alpha Centauri's declination is −60° 50′, so the observed latitude where the star is circumpolar will be south of −29° 10'S or 29°. Similarly, the place where Alpha Centauri never rises for northern observers is north of the latitude (90°+ δ) N or +29°N.
47. ↑ James, Andrew. "'The '"Constellations : Part 2 Culmination Times"'". Sydney, New South Wales: Southern Astronomical Delights. Retrieved 6 August 2008.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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50. ↑ "Light Curve Generator (LCG) – aavso.org". aavso.org. Retrieved 7 June 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
51. ↑ Ptolemaeus, Claudius (1984). *Ptolemy's Almagest* (PDF). Translated by Toomer, G. J. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co. p. 368, note 136. ISBN 978-0-7156-1588-1.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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55. ↑ Herschel, J. F. W. (1847). *Results of Astronomical Observations made during the years 1834,5,6,7,8 at the Cape of Good Hope; being the completion of a telescopic survey of the whole surface of the visible heavens, commenced in 1825*. Smith, Elder and Co, London.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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57. ↑ Aitken, R. G. (1961). *The Binary Stars*. Dover. pp. 236–237.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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62. ↑ "The 150 Stars in the Hipparcos Catalogue Closest to the Sun". ESA. 1997. Retrieved 6 August 2008.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 Aitken, R. G. (1961). *The Binary Stars*. Dover. p. 236.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>

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67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 **Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 "The One Hundred Nearest Star Systems". *Research Consortium On Nearby Stars*. Georgia State University. 7 September 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
69. ↑ Andrew James (11 March 2008). "ALPHA CENTAURI : 6". Homepage.mac.com. Retrieved 12 August 2010.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Aitken, R. G. (1961). *The Binary Stars*. Dover. p. 235.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
71. ↑ Clavin, Whitney; Harrington, J. D. (25 April 2014). "NASA's Spitzer and WISE Telescopes Find Close, Cold Neighbor of Sun". *NASA*. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
72. ↑ ESA: Hipparcos Site. "High-Proper Motion Stars (2004)".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
73. ↑ Aristotle. "De Caelo (On the Heavens): Book II. Part 11. (2004)".<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
74. ↑ Berry, A., "A History of Astronomy", Dover, 1989, pp. 357–358
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76. ↑ Astronomical Society of South Africa. "Henderson, Thomas [FRS] (2008)". Archived from the original on 9 September 2012.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
77. ↑ Pannekoek, A., "A Short History of Astronomy", Dover, 1989, p. 333
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79. ↑ N.L., de La Caillé (1976). *Travels at the Cape, 1751–1753: an annotated translation of Journal historique du voyage fait au Cap de Bonne-Espérance*. Translated by Raven-Hart, R. Cape Town. ISBN 978-0-86961-068-8.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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81. ↑ Proper motions are expressed in smaller angular units than arcsec, being measured in milli-arcsec (mas.) or one-thousandth of an arcsec. Negative values for proper motion in RA indicate the sky motion is from east to west, and in declination north to south.
82. ↑ **Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
83. ↑ van den Bos W. H. (1926). "Table of Visual Binary Stars". *Union Observatory Circular*. **2**: 356.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
84. ↑ Changes in position angle (θ) are calculated as; *θ* − *θ*o = *μ*α × sin *α* × (*t* − *t*o ), where; *α* = right ascension (in degrees), *μ*α is the common proper motion (cpm.) expressed in degrees, and *θ* and *θ*o are the current position angle and calculated position angle at the different epochs.
85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 Hartung, E.J.; Frew, D.; Malin, D. (1994). *Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes*. Melbourne University Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-522-84553-2.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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88. ↑ *Sky and Telescope*, April 1998 (p60), based on computations from HIPPARCOS data.
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90. ↑ It Turns Out the Closest Exoplanet to Us Doesn't Actually Exist
91. ↑ Poof! The Planet Closest To Our Solar System Just Vanished
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95. ↑ Twin Earths may lurk in our nearest star system
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104. ↑ Javiera Guedes, Terrestrial Planet Formation Around Alpha Cen B Archived 18 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
105. ↑ see Lissauer and Quintana in references below
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115. ↑ Computed; using in solar terms: 1.1 M☉ and 0.92 M☉, luminosities 1.57 and 0.51 *L*\*/L☉, Sun magnitude −26.73(v), 11.2 to 35.6 AU orbit. The minimum luminosity adds the planet's orbital radius to the A–B distance (max) (conjunction). The maximum luminosity subtracts the planet's orbital radius to the A–B distance (min) (opposition).
116. ↑ Rees, M. (ed.). Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2012. P. 252.
117. ↑ Kaler, J. B. *The Hundred Greatest Stars*. New York: Copernicus Books, 2002. P. 15.
118. ↑ Schaaf, F. *The Brightest Stars: Discovering the Universe through the Sky's Most Brilliant Stars*. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. P. 122.
119. ↑ Bailey, F., "The Catalogues of Ptolemy, Ulugh Beigh, Tycho Brahe, Halley, and Hevelius", *Memoirs of Royal Astronomical Society*, vol. XIII, London, 1843.
120. ↑ P. Kunitzsch, "Naturwissenschaft und Philologie: Die arabischen Elemente in der Nomenklatur und Terminologie der Himmelskunde" *Die Sterne* 52 (1976), 218–227 (p. 223). C.f. H. Hermelink, review of *Arabische Sternnamen in Europa by Paul Kunitzsch*, Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol. 81, No. 3 (Aug. – Sep. 1961), pp. 309–312.
*stellam in laevo pede Centauri, qui asterismus Tolimân dicitur* J. Golius, *Elementa astronomica, arabice et latine. Cum notis ad res exoticas sive orientales, quae in iis occurrunt* Amsterdam (1669), p. 76.
A spurious Hebrew etymology introduced by Frances Rolleston, *Mazzaroth; or, The constellations* (1862), p. 17 ("the heretofore and hereafter") has found some reflection in astrological literature (c.f. E. W. Bullinger, *The Witness of the Stars* (1893), p. 34; Thomas H. Perdue
 *Passover & Sukkot, Forever* (2011), p. 446; Mathew James, *The Original Prophecy*, Dog Ear Publishing (2011), p. 7).
121. ↑ Burritt, E. H., *Atlas, Designed to Illustrate the Geography of the Heavens*, (New Edition), New York, F. J. Huntington and Co., 1835, pl. VII.
122. ↑ (in Chinese) [ AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 6 月 27 日]
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145. ↑ Söderhjelm, Staffan (1999). "HIP 71683". *Visual binary orbits and masses post Hipparcos*. Retrieved 9 May 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
146. ↑ van Leeuwen, Floor (2007). "HIP 71683". *Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction*.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
147. ↑ van Leeuwen, Floor (2007). "HIP 71681". *Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction*.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>

## External links

* SIMBAD observational data
* Sixth Catalogue of Orbits of Visual Binary Stars U.S.N.O.
* The Imperial Star – Alpha Centauri
* Alpha Centauri – A Voyage to Alpha Centauri
* Immediate History of Alpha Centauri
* eSky : Alpha Centauri

### Hypothetical planets or exploration

* "A Family Portrait of the Alpha Centauri System". SpaceRef.com. Retrieved 21 March 2003.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
* Alpha Centauri System
* O Sistema Alpha Centauri (Portuguese)
* Alpha Centauri – Associação de Astronomia (Portuguese)
* Thompson, Andrea (7 March 2008). "Nearest Star System Might Harbor Earth Twin". SPACE.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2008.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Coordinates: Sky map 14h 39m 36.4951s, −60° 50′ 02.308″