What is Alpha Centauri?
Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Earth aside from our own. It is a trio of stars: Alpha Centauri, Beta Centauri, and Proxima Centauri. The first two are often referred to as Centauri A and Centauri B while the last is Centauri C. Alpha Centauri is a yellowish-white dwarf star with about 10% greater mass than our Sun. Beta Centauri is slightly smaller, at about 90% solar mass, and produces less heat, giving off an orangeish-yellow-white glow. Proxima Centauri is a small red dwarf, orbiting the other two at a great distance. This red dwarf is the closest star to us aside from the Sun. The Centauri system gets its name from its location in the constellation Centaurus, the centaur. The entire system is 4.2 – 4.4 light years away from the Earth. A starship traveling at 10% the speed of light, perhaps powered by a nuclear pulse engine, would reach Alpha Centauri in only about 50 years. It is plausible that the system has its own planets, though none have been detected yet. Al
