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                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2025 January 1
      A star field is filled with red-glowing gas. Near the center is a
   bright star system Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our Sun.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                   Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System
   Image Credit & Copyright: Telescope Live, Heaven's Mirror Observatory;
                         Processing: Chris Cantrell

   Explanation: The closest star system to the Sun is the Alpha Centauri
   system. Of the three stars in the system, the dimmest -- called Proxima
   Centauri -- is actually the nearest star. 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. The Alphasystem
   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 though it is more than twice as
   far away. By an exciting coincidence, Alpha Centauri A is the same type
   of star as our Sun, and Proxima Centauri is now known to have a
   potentially habitable exoplanet.

                     Tomorrow's picture: 2024 in the sun
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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