Since ancient times, man turned his gaze to the sky, where he saw thousands of stars. They fascinated him and made him think. Over the centuries, knowledge about them has been accumulated and systematized. And when it became clear that the stars are not just luminous points, but real cosmic objects of enormous size, a person had a dream - to fly to them. But first, it was necessary to determine how far they were.
The closest star to Earth
With the help of telescopes and mathematical formulas, scientists were able to calculate the distances to our (excluding objects in the solar system) space neighbors. So what is the closest star to Earth? It turned out to be a small Proxima Centauri. It is part of a triple system located at a distance of about four light-years from the solar system (it is worth noting that astronomers often use a different unit of measurement - the parsec). She was named proxima, which in Latin means "nearest". For the universe itthe distance seems insignificant, but with the current level of space shipbuilding, it will take more than one generation of people to reach it.
Proxima Centauri
In the sky, this star can only be seen through a telescope. It shines weaker than the Sun about one hundred and fifty times. In size, it is also significantly inferior to the latter, and the temperature of its surface is half as much. Astronomers consider this star a brown dwarf, and the existence of planets around it is hardly possible. And therefore it makes no sense to fly there. Although the Alpha Centauri triple system in itself deserves attention, such objects are not very common in the Universe. The stars in them turn one around the other in bizarre orbits, and it happens that they “devour” a neighbor.
Deep Space
Let's say a few words about the most distant object discovered so far in the Universe. Of those visible without the use of special optical devices, this is, without a doubt, the Andromeda Nebula. Its brightness roughly corresponds to a quarter magnitude. And the closest star to the Earth of this galaxy is from us, according to the calculations of astronomers, at a distance of two million light years. Astonishing value! After all, we see it as it was two million years ago - that's how easy it is to look into the past! But back to our "neighbors". The closest galaxy to us is a dwarf galaxy, which can be observed in the constellation Sagittarius. It is so close to us that the Milky Way practically swallows it up! True, fly to her allequal to eighty thousand light-years. These are the distances in space! The Magellanic Cloud is out of the question. This satellite of the Milky Way is almost 170 million light-years behind us.
The closest stars to Earth
There are fifty-one star systems relatively close to the Sun. But we will list only eight. So, get acquainted:
- Already mentioned above Proxima Centauri. Distance - four light years, class M5, 5 (red or brown dwarf).
- Stars Alpha Centauri A and B. They are 4.3 light years away from us. Objects of class D2 and K1, respectively. Alpha Centauri is also the closest star to Earth, similar in temperature to our Sun.
- Barnard's Star - it is also called "Flying" because it moves at a high (compared to other space objects) speed. It is located at a distance of 6 light years from the Sun. Class object M3, 8. In the sky, it can be found in the constellation Ophiuchus.
- Wolf 359 - located at a distance of 7.7 light years from us. An object of 16th magnitude in the constellation Draco. Class M5, 8.
- Lalande 1185 is 8.2 light-years away from our system. It is located in the constellation Ursa Major. M2 class object, 1. Magnitude – 10.
- Tau Ceti - located at a distance of 8.4 light years from us. M5 class star, 6.
- The Sirius A and B systems are eight and a half light-years away. Stars class A1 and DA.
- Ross 154 in the constellation Sagittarius. Located on9.4 light-years from the Sun. Star class M 3, 6.
Here, only space objects located within a radius of ten light years from us are mentioned.
Sun
However, looking at the sky, we forget that the closest star to the Earth is still the Sun. This is the center of our system. Without it, life on Earth would be impossible, and our planet was formed along with this star. Therefore, it deserves special attention. A little about her. Like all stars, the Sun is mostly made up of hydrogen and helium. Moreover, the former constantly turns into the latter. Heavier elements are also formed as a result of thermonuclear reactions. And the older the star, the more they accumulate.
In terms of age, the closest star to the Earth is no longer young, it is about five billion years old. The mass of the Sun is ~2.1033 g, the diameter is 1,392,000 kilometers. The temperature on the surface reaches 6000 K. In the middle of the star, it rises. The atmosphere of the Sun consists of three parts: the corona, chromosphere and photosphere.
Solar activity significantly affects the life of the Earth. It is argued that climate, weather and the state of the biosphere depend on it. An eleven-year periodicity of solar activity is known.
