Centauri (nickname for the system)

Alpha Centauri, often called Centauri, is the closest star system to our Sun, located about 4.37 light-years away. It consists primarily of three stars: Alpha Centauri A and B, which form a close binary pair, and Proxima Centauri, a small, faint star that's the nearest known star to Earth beyond the Sun. This system is a key target in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets and future interstellar exploration due to its proximity and well-studied stellar properties. While currently beyond our technological reach for crewed missions, Centauri remains a significant focus for astronomical research and emerging propulsion concepts.