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 sought to write the next part of that story: the game aspired to tell “a history of the future.”

From The Daily Beast

The proper annual motion of the sun Alpha Centauri exceeds 188 millions of leagues per year.

From Project Gutenberg

Light then could girdle the earth a thousand million times whilst it comes from Alpha Centauri.

From Project Gutenberg

He noted down the directions and set the cross hairs of his forward observer on Alpha Centauri.

From Project Gutenberg

He found from meridian observations that the star Alpha Centauri had a parallax of about 1.

From Project Gutenberg

Nobody can pretend to be profoundly immersed in the internal affairs of Sirius or of Alpha Centauri.

From Project Gutenberg