Alpha Centauri

noun

1. Astronomy. a triple-star system that is the brightest celestial object in the constellation Centaurus.

Alpha Centauri

/ ăl′fəsĕn-tôr′ē /

1. A triple star system in the constellation Centaurus that is the third brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of −0.27, and the star nearest to Earth, at a distance of about 4.2 light-years. The two brighter stars, Alpha Centauri A and B, form a binary star system, which is orbited by Proxima Centauri, a smaller, dimmer star.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Alpha Centauri¹

< New Latin: Alpha of Centaurus

Example Sentences

Alpha Centauri encompasses the closest star system to Earth and is more than four light-years away.

From BBC

By the way, that’s not me saying that I think the final answer is aliens visiting from Alpha Centauri.

From Los Angeles Times

The group became stranded on a distant planet after their ship, the Jupiter 2, went off course en route to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri system.

From Los Angeles Times

In the opening hours of the role-playing video game, it’s possible to land your spaceship on Earth’s moon or zip 16 light-years to Alpha Centauri.

From New York Times

It took place at a location more than 8000 light-years away from our Earth in the direction of Alpha Centauri, between the constellations of Circinus and Centaurus.

From Space Scoop