Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the Centaurus constellation, the "Centaur".
Centaurus. "Centauri" means "of the constellation Centaurus".
As the name implies, Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the constellation Centaurus, the Centaur.
Alpha Centauri (binary system) and Proxima Centauri are in the southern constellation of Centaurus.They actually are a triple star system.
There is no single star called "alpha" or "beta". The brightest stars (usually) in each constellation are called "alpha" and "beta", followed by the Latin genitiv of the constellation; for example, "alpha centauri", "beta centauri", "alpha orionis", "alpha cruxis", etc.
Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus, Rigil Kent or Toliman) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus.It has a temperature of about 5,790 Kelvin.
Greek and Latin. Alpha is a Greek letter; Centauri is the Latin genitive form of the (Latin) word Centaurus which is the name of the constellation.
Alpha Centauri is a star, it cannot have satellites. Satellites orbit planets.
Proxima Centauri is in the constellation Centaurus.
The "alpha" is a star's nomenclature means it's (usually) the brightest star in its constellation. Even if the constellations are apparently close, the stars could be any distance, since the constellation is only the two-dimensional "window" and doesn't tell us anything about the depth of the starfield. However, Alpha Sagittarii is about 180 light years from Earth. Since this is much further away than Alpha Centauri, we can more or less ignore the 4 light year distance between Earth and Alpha Centauri and say that Alpha Sagittarii is also about 180 light years from Alpha Centauri as well.
Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus, Rigil Kent, or Toliman) is a binary star systemAlpha Centauri A is a G2 star or yellow dwarf - very similar to our own SunAlpha Centauri B is a K1 star or orange dwarf.and possibly a triple star system.Alpha Centauri C (Proxima Centauri) is a M5 star or red dwarfAlpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Although it appears to us as a single object, Alpha Centauri is actually a binary star system.Alpha Centauri A has a spectral type of G2V - so it is a yellow dwarf.Alpha Centauri B has a spectral type of G2V - so it is an orange dwarf.
There is no star that is simply called "Alpha". There are several that have "alpha" in their name, for example Alpha Centauri, Alpha Cruxis, Alpha Canis Majoris, etc. - usually the brightest star in each constellation. Some stars such as Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) are not actually the brightest star in the constellation.
Alpha Centauri, although it appears to the naked eye as a single star, is a binary pair. Together they are designated Alpha Centauri AB, the more massive and luminous in the pair designated Alpha Centauri A, the less massive and luminous Alpha Centauri B. Together, this pair is the third brightest "star" in the night sky. There is a third star probably interacting gravitationally with the pair, Proxima Centauri, also designated Alpha Centauri C, a red dwarf which is not visible to the naked eye but is the next closest star to our Sun. Alpha Centauri B has about 90% of the mass of our Sun and is about 45% as bright. Note that Alpha Centauri B is not the "second" star (second brightest) in the constellation Centaurus: that is Beta Centauri, which is itself a trinary star system.
Alpha Centauri (the brightest star in the constellation Centaurus) is the closest star to earth, and is actually a double star system - when it's small companion star is on "our side" of Alpha C, it is actually closest. The system is about 4.3 light years away. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, a white giant, and is about 9 light years away.