Alpha Centauri
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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
Alpha Centauri AB (left) forms a triple star system with Proxima Centauri (below, south of, α Centauri AB). (See labelled version)
The Very Large Telescope open to the night sky, with the Milky Way running diagonally across the sky above it and many southern stars and constellations labelled and connected by lines, including Alpha Centauri and the not visible Proxima Centauri.
Alpha Centauri AB (left) forms a triple star system with Proxima Centauri (below, south of, α Centauri AB), circled in red. The bright star to the right is Beta Centauri.
Orbital plot of Proxima Centauri around the bright apparent star Alpha Centauri AB, with position change marked (in thousands of years).
Proxima Centauri
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Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to Earth after the Sun, located 4.25 light-years away in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes, it is a small, low-mass star,
False color Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 image taken in 2013. The bright lines are diffraction spikes.
Schematic of the three planets (d, b, and c) of the Proxima Centauri system, with the habitable zone highlighted in green