Alpha Centauri A (α Cen A)
By: Tanvi Kongara Period: 2
Size
- Relative to the Sun (Sun=1): 1.09
- Alpha Centauri has a mass of about 109% greater than the Sun
Radius:
- Relative to the Sun (Sun=1): 1.2
- Alpha Centauri has a radius of abut 22% larger than the Sun's
Color and Temperature
Temperature: 5800 K (Sun=5770 a
Luminosity
Luminosity of Alpha Centauri A: 1.519 (Sun=1)
Alpha Centauri’s surface temperature is a few degrees Kelvin less than our sun but its diameter and the overall larger surface area gives it a luminosity nearly 1.6 times that of our star.
Absolute and Apparent Magnitude
- Definition: the magnitude of a star if it was placed a distance of 10 parsecs/ 32.6 light years away from the Earth
- Absolute magnitude of Alpha Centauri A : 4.34
Apparent:
- Definition: how bright an object appears in the sky from Earth
- Apparent Magnitude of Alpha Centauri A : -0.01
Light Years from Earth
Alpha Centauri A distance from Earth: 4.37 light years
Spectral Classsification
Age and Stellar Evolution Stage
Stellar Evolution Stage: Main Sequence
Star History
Binary System
Interesting Facts
2. Alpha Centauri is almost never seen in the Northern Hemisphere and it is said to never set in the Southern Hemisphere
3. Alpha Centauri A is part of a constellation - Centaurus
4. This star and its system has been mentioned in many books and film; some of the most prominent include Avatar, Lost in Space, Transformers, and most commonly known Star Trek
Constellation
Alpha Centauri System
Sun's Closest Neighbors
Sources
http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/alpha-centauri-is-the-nearest-bright-star
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Alpha_Centauri.html
http://www.csupomona.edu/~pbsiegel/phy303/ch13.html
http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso0307/
http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/A/Absolute+Magnitude
http://lcogt.net/spacebook/what-apparent-magnitude