but what would we find when we got to Alpha Proxima?

Question

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What if, when we get there, it's boring? I mean, there are buzillions of starts, and we have to blow our entire planet's energy budget for a generation just getting to the nearest one. What if there are no little green men to talk to? After all, we haven't even picked up their TV channels yet.

So what do we think we'll find when we get there? Anything worth the trip? Are there, at least, any planets?

Answer 1

First up, I assume you mean Proxima Centauri, or perhaps the entire Alpha Centauri system. As of yet, we don't know of any planets in that system...and, presumably, one would not set out on the long journey without knowing that answer.

Alpha Centauri A and B are separated by about the same distance as the Sun and Uranus in our solar system. This does not preclude a planet in the so-called "habitable" zone of either star, but it would make planetary orbits around either of them unstable beyond 200 million miles or so...and might have prevented the formation of large planets altogether. FYI, A is a yellow dwarf star a bit bigger than our sun...and B is an orange dwarf a little bit smaller than our sun.

Alpha Centauri C is about 1/10th of a light year from A and B and is a small long-lived red dwarf. It would be the best bet for having a stable planetary system.

It would certainly be an interesting destination. It's the journey that would be insanely boring (highlighted by times of sheer panic).

Answer 2

Proxima Centauri is a small, dim red dwarf star with an even dimmer chance of finding an Earthlike planet orbiting it. Any Earthlike planet would have to orbit so close to the star that it would be tidally locked with one side always facing the star. Our only hope of a true Earthlike or maybe Marslike planet would have to be a moon of a Jupiterlike planet orbiting just as close to the star as our proposed earthlike planet, and have the moon tidally locked to the planet, rather than to the star. Then you could even have a real chance of a 24 hour day/night cycle if the orbit of the moon around the planet was once every 24 hours or so, not at all impossible.
But the real excitement might come with visiting Alpha Centauri A or B which are both sun-like stars and could easily have Earthlike planets orbiting them. But I read that the Alpha-Centauri system is estimated to be roughly 6 Billion years old, making it like visiting Earth 1.5 Billion years in the future. Great fun to think about!

Answer 3

Could be interesting. That little system actually consists of three stars. Alpha Proxima, the closest of the three, is a very dim red dwarf. If placed side by side with our sun, we would barely notice it...it's just that sad. The only thrill about it is that it's a flare star, so every once in a while, it's brightness suddenly doubles. Cheap thrill for the long ride. I would suspect there might be a small planet circling it and maybe some other bits of rubble. The little star might even be rotating around Alpha Centauri, the brightest star in that system. Alpha Centauri could be most interesting. It's a binary (2 stars) and probably has a good selection of planets that are worth investigation.

Answer 4

there is not any connection between the Alpha Centauri equipment and the Sirius equipment, Sirius is approximately two times as a great way from earth as Alpha Centauri. Sirius, additionally extensive-unfold as a results of fact the canine celeb, is the furthest of the three stars you indexed. it fairly is approximately 8.5 mild years away. it fairly is an extremely youthful binary celeb equipment, someplace between 200 and 3 hundred million years previous, with the brightest celeb being a considerable sequence celeb approximately two times as massive as our sunlight, jointly as the better half is extensive-unfold to be a white dwarf. Wiki says that the two stars have been blue stars with Sirius B evolving right into a purple great and then approximately one hundred twenty five million years in the past leaving the main significant sequence and turning out to be a white dwarf. i think of Wiki may well be incorrect on the two stars being blue giants. Astronomy information says that Sirius A is 225 and 250 million years previous and that Sirius B went from the purple great degree to the White Dwarf degree approximately one hundred twenty five million years in the past. it must be that when Sirius A grew to become right into a protostar, Sirius B more desirable throughout its purple great degree inflicting Sirius A to realize the main significant sequence greater rapidly and make it a miles better celeb than it would have been absent Sirius B. Alpha Centauri is predicated the place you examine, the two a binary equipment or a triple celeb equipment. Alpha Centauri the equipment is the closest celeb equipment to us; in spite of the incontrovertible fact that Proxima Centauri, a small purple Dwarf, a pair of 5th of a mild 3 hundred and sixty 5 days faraway from the binary celeb Alpha Centauri AB, is the closest celeb to us at approximately 4.2 mild years. there is a few dispute to despite if Proxima is a real member of the equipment or if it grew to become into in part captured yet will at last pass out of the equipment.

Answer 5

AZ Imagined is right with what he has posted, as are a few others.

Funnily enough, back in 1992, the then NASA chief, Dan Goldin, said at a press conference that if by chance, and Earth like planet was ever found to orbit either of the main stars of the Alpha Centauri system, that they would call for the building of a warp drive IMMEDIATELY. He also said that if he had to, he would get out and push the Space Shuttle along with the astronauts....to get up enough speed to go there:):):). You can just imagine that.....all these guys out the back of the Shuttle pushing like mad and screaming at the tops of their voices..."Move, you piece of ****!!!", and whipping it at the same time:):).

Answer 6

I think we would find two stars and lots of asteroids. If there are planets, it's unlikely there are any of earth type. On any planet in that system there wouldn't be much of a night and there would be long periods during it's year when it would never get dark.

Answer 7

The night sky would look much the same as from here. Except the constellation of Cassiopeia would have an extra star, called the sun

Answer 8

It's only note-worthy because it's the nearest star system to us.

The nearest potentially possible system is HD 69830 at about 41 light years away.

Answer 9

Well i think that there will be planets, planets with water, most definitely, planets with life, maybe, planets with talking life, most likely not.

Answer 10

No planets, it's an ugly little system.