what is the closest binary star to the Sun?

Question

a binary star means that there are two stars in orbit around each other

Answer 1

Note that Alpha and Beta Centauri are NOT in a double star system together.

Alpha Centauri is in fact a double with two components named

Alpha Centauri A
Alpha Centauri B

Also, there is a third, much smaller star that orbits the other two:

Proxima Centauri

Proxima Centauri is so named because at one of the farthest points in its orbit around the other two, it is 4.3 Light Years from our sun, hence slightly closer to us than the other two. That makes it officially the closest star to us after the sun.

Technically that makes the Centauri system trinary, not binary.

The first answer was right: Sirius A and Sirius B form the closest binary system to our sun.

Answer 2

I have a great answer for you from our observatory database ..

The closest star system to the Sun is the Alpha Centauri system

The bright stars Alpha Centauri A and B form a close binary as they are separated by only 23 times the Earth- Sun distance - slightly greater than the distance between Uranus and the Sun. In the above picture, the brightness of the stars overwhelm the photograph causing an illusion of great size, even though the stars are really just small points of light. The Alpha Centauri system is not visible in much of the northern hemisphere. Alpha Centauri A, also known as Rigil Kentaurus, is the brightest star in the constellation of Centaurus and is the fourth brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is the brightest even thought it is more than twice as far away. By an exciting coincidence, Alpha Centauri A is the same type of star as our Sun, causing many to speculate that it might contain planets that harbor life.

Here is a photograph of the system ..

http://images.spaceref.com/news/alpha.ce...

Answer 3

I have a great answer for you from our observatory database ..

The closest star system to the Sun is the Alpha Centauri system

The bright stars Alpha Centauri A and B form a close binary as they are separated by only 23 times the Earth- Sun distance - slightly greater than the distance between Uranus and the Sun. In the above picture, the brightness of the stars overwhelm the photograph causing an illusion of great size, even though the stars are really just small points of light. The Alpha Centauri system is not visible in much of the northern hemisphere. Alpha Centauri A, also known as Rigil Kentaurus, is the brightest star in the constellation of Centaurus and is the fourth brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is the brightest even thought it is more than twice as far away. By an exciting coincidence, Alpha Centauri A is the same type of star as our Sun, causing many to speculate that it might contain planets that harbor life.

Here is a photograph of the system ..

http://images.spaceref.com/news/alpha.centauri.jpg

Answer 4

The closest binary that I know of is the Alpha Centauri system. Even though this is a triple star system. Alpha Centauri A and B "form a close binary as they are separated by only 23 times the Earth- Sun distance - slightly greater than the distance between Uranus and the Sun."

Answer 5

Alpha Centauri is a triple star system, not binary. Sirius is the closest at 8.6 ly.

Answer 6

Our nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri, is a multiple star system.

Answer 7

Yep, Alpha and Beta Centauri.

Answer 8

i assume it may count on the size of the celebs.... smaller stars could provide the planet extra of possibility of merely getting the solar from one.... additionally whether it did, it somewhat is fairly in all possibility it may be extremely of a rareity (counting on it somewhat is orbit and the celebs orbit around one yet another) basicly all of it comes all the way down to the specifics.

Answer 9

Hi. Sirius, I think.