How far is the nearest Star to our Solar system?
Proxima Centauri has been suggested as a logical first destination for interstellar travel, although as a flare star it would not be particularly hospitable. The current standard spaceship, the Space Shuttle, travels in orbit at 7.8 km/s. At that speed, it would take 160,000 years to reach Proxima. The fastest man-made spacecraft, the Helios II deep space probe, has set a speed record of 70.2 km/s. Even at that speed, the journey to Proxima Centauri would take 18,000 years. The proposed VASIMR propulsion system, possibly able to achieve speeds up to 300 km/s, would shorten the journey to a “mere” 4,200 years —still firmly beyond the current lifespan of both man and machine. It follows that interstellar travel would require significant development of radical ideas to become feasible, such as hypothetical generation ships, laser-pushed solar sails, nuclear fusion powered Bussard ramjets, nuclear pulse drives or warp drives.
Our Sun is the nearest star. It is about 8.32 light minutes away from Earth. The next nearest star is Proxima Centauri that is about 4.3 light years away. It has two companion stars that are a bit further away. The system is named for Alpha Centauri, the brightest of the three. The third star is called Beta Centauri or Alpha Centauri 2.
