answersLogoWhite

0

Like most main-sequence stars, Alpha Centauri is primarily hydrogen, with some helium and traces of other heavier elements.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Astronomy

How many years pass before light from Alpha Centauri reaches earth?

Alpha Centauri is a triple star system. Alpha Centauri A, B & C or Proxima Centauri. Alpha Centauri A & B are 4.37 light years from the Earth whereas Alpha Centauri C is 4.243 light years.


Is the nearest star the proxima centauri?

Not counting the Sun itself, Proxima Centauri can be the nearest star that we know about.Proxima (Alpha Centauri C) is part of the Alpha Centauri system. Depending on where it is in its orbit, it might be closer to us than Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, or it might be further away.Astronomers also aren't absolutely positive that the Sun doesn't have a distant binary red or brown dwarf companion. Such a companion would be difficult for us to detect. This hypothetical companion has even been given a name, just in case we end up finding it: Nemesis.It currently seems unlikely that Nemesis exists. The WISE survey (which could have detected stellar objects with a surface temperature of just 150 Kelvin - far below freezing - at a distance of 10 light years, considerably further away than the Alpha Centauri system) should have found it if it were there. Also, the reason it was originally hypothesized to exist (periodic mass extinctions on Earth, the reason for the name Nemesis) is no longer considered to be consistent with the proposed Nemesis mechanism.So, after all that: Probably yes, at least part of the time.


How far away is the next nearest star?

Technically speaking the closest star to Earth is the sun which is about 93 000 000 miles (150 million kilometers) away. After that the next nearest star is Alpha Centauri and it is 4.37 light years away from our sun.


What does the gases surround our planet make up?

The Earth's atmosphere.


Name the nearest star to planet earth?

Sol. (Usually referred to as "the sun".)_________________________The next-closest after that is Proxima Centauri, which is 4.2 light-years away. Curiously, Proxima Centauri is not visible to the naked eye, it is a red dwarf star, and even though it is closest, it is too small and dim to be seen!

Related Questions

What does the double star Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B form with Proxima Centauri?

Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B form a binary star system, while Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star that is located further away from the binary system. Together, these three stars make up the Alpha Centauri system, which is the closest star system to the Sun.


How many years pass before light from Alpha Centauri reaches earth?

Alpha Centauri is a triple star system. Alpha Centauri A, B & C or Proxima Centauri. Alpha Centauri A & B are 4.37 light years from the Earth whereas Alpha Centauri C is 4.243 light years.


What is the closest star other than the sun?

At any given moment, it's one of the three stars making up the alpha Centauri system. The one that can get the closest is alpha Centauri C (aka Proxima), but depending on where it is in its orbit, it's possible for either alpha Centauri A or alpha Centauri B to be slightly closer than Proxima at a soecific point in time.


What are the 3 stars that made Centaurus?

Alpha Centauri, Beta Centauri, and Proxima Centauri are the three main stars that make up the Centaurus constellation. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to Earth, while Proxima Centauri is the closest known star to our solar system.


What is the name of the star nearest to earth?

The star nearest to the Earth is Sun, but except Sun, The closest star system that we know of is Alpha Centauri, located about 4.37 light years away (41.5 trillion km). The system easy to see with the unaided eye - if you live in the Southern hemisphere. In fact, Alpha Centauri is the 4th brightest star in the star in the sky. Alpha Centauri is actually made up of three stars orbiting one another. They're too bright to be seen as separate stars without a telescope. But with a telescope, it's possible to split the star into two. These are Alpha Centuari A and B. Neither of them is very closer to the Earth. The Alpha Centauri system has a third, much dimmer star called Proxima Centauri. While Alpha Centauri A and B are 4.37 light-years away, The red dwarf Proxima Centauri is located a mere 4.22 light-years away. Alpha Centauri orbit one another, getting as close as 11.2 astronomical units (the distance from the Sun to Saturn), while Proxima Centauri is about 13,000 astronomical units away. Most astronomers think that Proxima Centauri orbits the binary pair, but there are some who think it's just passing by, and not actually part of the system.


What is the distance from earth to alpha centaurs?

Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus, Rigil Kent, or Toliman) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus.It is actually a binary star, but appears to us as a single star.Alpha Centauri A has an apparent magnitude of -0.01Alpha Centauri B has an apparent magnitude of +1.33


Is the nearest star the proxima centauri?

Not counting the Sun itself, Proxima Centauri can be the nearest star that we know about.Proxima (Alpha Centauri C) is part of the Alpha Centauri system. Depending on where it is in its orbit, it might be closer to us than Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, or it might be further away.Astronomers also aren't absolutely positive that the Sun doesn't have a distant binary red or brown dwarf companion. Such a companion would be difficult for us to detect. This hypothetical companion has even been given a name, just in case we end up finding it: Nemesis.It currently seems unlikely that Nemesis exists. The WISE survey (which could have detected stellar objects with a surface temperature of just 150 Kelvin - far below freezing - at a distance of 10 light years, considerably further away than the Alpha Centauri system) should have found it if it were there. Also, the reason it was originally hypothesized to exist (periodic mass extinctions on Earth, the reason for the name Nemesis) is no longer considered to be consistent with the proposed Nemesis mechanism.So, after all that: Probably yes, at least part of the time.


The distance between your solar system and the closet one?

The nearest star to the Sun is currently Proxima Centauri. It is a distance of about 4.22 light years from the Sun.It is very likely that Proxima Centauri is gravitationally associated with the two stars of Alpha Centauri system since the separation is only 0.21 ly about 15,000 AU but no evidence of an elliptical orbit associated with a binary star has not been found. If this is correct then eventually Alpha Centauri A & B will become the nearest stars to Earth at a distance of 4.36 ly.


How far away is the next nearest star?

Technically speaking the closest star to Earth is the sun which is about 93 000 000 miles (150 million kilometers) away. After that the next nearest star is Alpha Centauri and it is 4.37 light years away from our sun.


How far is earth from the the stars?

The nearest star neighbors to the Earth are three stars that make up a multiple system. To the naked eye the system appears as a single bright star, Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is a double star -- two stars revolving about each other that are too close to be seen as separate by the naked eye. Near them is the third member of the system, a faint star known as Proxima Centauri, our sun's closest neighbor. Proxima Centauri is 4.3 light-years from the Sun (and Earth). It lies at a distance of over 24,000,000,000,000 miles, about 270,000 times farther than the distance between the Earth and the Sun.


What gases make up your universe?

Hydrogen and Helium gases make up the universe.


Do gases make up most of the periodic table?

no - gases are few in number - metals make up most of the periodic table