Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri

(α Centauri, α Cen; also known as Rigil Kentaurus, Rigil Kent /ˈraɪdʒəl/, or Toliman) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Alpha Centauri is actually a binary star system (designated Alpha Centauri AB or α Cen AB) whose combined visual magnitude of -0.27

Its individual component stars are named Alpha Centauri A (α Cen A), with 110% of the mass and 151.9% the luminosity of our Sun, and Alpha Centauri B (α Cen B), at 90.7% of the Sun's mass and 50.0% of its luminosity. During the stars' 79.91 year orbit about a common center, the distance between them varies from about that between Pluto and the Sun to that between Saturn and the Sun. They average 1.34 parsecs or 4.37 light years away from the Sun.[10]

A third star, known as Proxima Centauri, Proxima or Alpha Centauri C (α Cen C), is gravitationally associated with Alpha Centauri AB. Proxima is now placed at the slightly smaller distance of 1.29 parsecs or 4.24 light years from the Sun, making it the closest star to the Sun. The true separation of Proxima from Alpha Centauri AB is about 0.06 parsecs, 0.2 light years or 13,000 astronomical units (AU), equivalent to 400 times the size of Neptune's orbit.

The three Star system has 21 Planets of which three orbit Alpha Centauri itself and not like the rest orbiting all three Suns. All 21 planets are utilized or settled. There are three gigamonspace stations with 12 light minutes from Alpha Centauri.