Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun

Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun

Alpha Centauri, the 3rd-brightest star in the sky, photographed in Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. A faint swarm of stars to the right is the star cluster NGC 5617. Across the field, patches of dark interstellar dust clouds obscure stars in our Milky Way galaxy. Image via Alan Dyer/ AmazingSKY. Used with permission. Alpha Centauri is the 3rd-brightest star in our night sky – technically a trio of stars – and the nearest star system to our sun. In…