α Centauri (Latinised to Alpha Centauri) is the system's designation given by Johann Bayer in 1603. It bears the traditional name Rigil Kentaurus, which is a Latinisation of the Arabic name رجل القنطورس Rijl al-Qinṭūrus, meaning … See more

Alpha Centauri is a triple star system, with its two main stars, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, together comprising a binary component. The AB designation, or older A×B, denotes … See more

The sky from Alpha Centauri AB would appear much as it does from the Earth, except that Centaurus would be missing its brightest star. The Sun would appear as a yellow star of apparent magnitude +0.48, roughly the same as the average brightness of See more

Alpha Centauri is a likely first target for crewed or robotic interstellar exploration. Using current spacecraft technologies, crossing the distance between the Sun and Alpha Centauri … See more

To the naked eye, Alpha Centauri AB appears to be a single star, the brightest in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Their apparent angular separation varies over about 80 years … See more

The Alpha Centauri system as a whole has three confirmed planets, all of them around Proxima Centauri. While other planets have been … See more

In modern literature, colloquial alternative names of Alpha Centauri include Rigil Kent (also Rigel Kent and variants; /ˈraɪdʒəl ˈkɛnt/) and Toliman (the latter of which became the proper name of Alpha Centauri B on 10 August 2018 by approval of the See more