Proxima Centaurial Distance to Earth in kilometers. Intimated position

Since ancient times, a person paid his eyes to the sky, where he saw thousands of stars. They fascinated him and forced to think. With centuries, knowledge about them was accumulated and systematized. And when it became clear that stars are not just glowing points, but the real space objects of a huge value, a dream has a dream - to fly to them. But first it was necessary to determine how far they are.

The closest star to the ground

With the help of telescopes and mathematical formulas, scientists managed to calculate distances to ours (excluding the solar system objects) of cosmic neighbors. So, what is the closest star to the ground? She turned out to be a small proxy of Centauri. It enters the triple system, located at a distance of about just more than four light years from the solar system (it is worth noting that astronomers more often use another unit of measure - parcember). It was called Proxima that in Latin means "nearest". For the Universe, this distance seems insignificant, but at the modern level of space shipbuilding to achieve it, not one generation of people will be required.

Proxima Centaurus

In the sky, this star can be seen only in the telescope. It shines weaker than the sun at about a hundred fifty times. In size, it is also significantly inferior to the last, and the temperature of its surface is two times less. Astronomers consider this star and the existence of the planets around it is unlikely perhaps. Therefore, it does not make sense to fly there. Although the triple system itself deserves attention - in the Universe, such objects are not very common. The stars in them are addressed by one around the other in bizarre orbits, and it happens that the neighbor is "devouring".

Far Space

Let's just say a few words about the most distant facility found in the universe. Of those visible without the use of special optical devices - this is, without a doubt, the nebula of Andromeda. Its brightness approximately corresponds to the fourth magnitude. And the closest star to Earth of this galaxy is from us, according to the calculations of astronomers, at a distance of two million light years. Ski-magnitude! After all, we see her, what she was two million years ago - this is how it just turns out to look into the past! But back to our "neighbors." The most close to us galaxy is a dwarf, which can be observed in the constellation Sagittarius. She is so not accustomed to us that it practically absorbs! True, to fly to it will still have eighty thousand light years. These are the distances in space! About the Magellan Cloud and not worth talking. This Milky Way satellite lags behind us by almost 170 million light years.

Closest stars to the ground

Relative to near the sun is fifty-one but we will list only eight. So, Meet:

1. Already mentioned above proxima Centaurus. Distance - four light years, class M5.5 (red or brown dwarf).
2. Stars Alpha Centauro A and B. They are removed from us by 4.3 light years. Objects of class d2 and k1, respectively. Alpha Centauro - also the closest star to the ground, at a temperature similar to our sun.
3. Star Barnard - it is also called "flying" because it moves with a large (compared to other space objects) speed. Located at a distance of 6 light years from the sun. Object class M3.8. In the sky, it can be found in the constellation of the snakes.
4. Wolf 359 - is at a distance of 7.7 light years from us. The object of the 16th magnitude in the constellation of the dragon. Class M5.8.
5. Laland 1185 - removed from our system for 8.2 light years. Located in the object of class M2.1. Star value - 10.
6. Tau Kita - located at a distance of 8.4 light years from us. Star class M5.6.
7. Syricius A and B - removed for eight and a half light years. Stars class A1 and DA.
8. Ross 154 in the constellation Sagittarius. Located at a distance of 9.4 light years from the sun. Star class m 3.6.

Also mentioned only space objects located within the radius of ten light years from us.

The sun

However, looking at the sky, we forget that the very nearest star to Earth is still the sun. This is the center of our system. Without him, life on Earth would be impossible, and our planet was formed with this star. Therefore, it deserves special attention. A little about her. Like all the stars, mostly the sun consists of hydrogen and helium. Moreover, the first is constantly turning into the last. Formed as a result of more severe elements. And the star is older, the more they accumulate them.

By age, the closest star to the Earth is already eloxy, she is about five billion years old. It is ~ 2,10 33 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 crown, chromosphere and photospheres.

Solar activity significantly affects the life of the Earth. It is argued that climate, weather and the state of the biosphere depend on it. It is known about the eleven-year periodicity of solar activity.

The proxima Centauro is a star that is closer to the ground. The name she received from the Latin word Proxima, which means "nearest". The distance from it to the Sun is 4.22 light years. However, despite the fact that the star is closer to us than the sun, you can only see it in a telescope. It is so small that nothing was known about her existence until 1915. Robert Innes, an astronomer from Scotland became the recorder of the star.

Alpha Centauri

Proxima is part of the system besides it, it also includes two more stars: Alpha Centaurus A and Alpha Centaur V. They are much brighter and more noticeable proxim. So, the star A, the brightest of this constellation, is at a distance of 4.33 light years from the sun. It is called the bolt of the Centaur, which is translated as "Kentaur Leg". This star is like that of our sun. Probably because of its brightness. Unlike proxim, Centaurus, it was known since ancient times, as it is very noticeable in the night sky.

Alpha Centauro is also not inferior to the "sister" in brightness. Together they are a close double system. Proxima Centauro is far enough from them. Between the stars - the distance of thirteen thousand astronomical units (it further than from the sun to the planet Neptune in the whole four hundred times!).

All stars of the Centaurine system are rotating in orbit around their common center of mass. Only proxima moves very slowly: the period of its appeal takes millions of years. Therefore, this star will still remain close to Earth for a long time.

Very small

The star of the proxima Centauro is not only closer to all of the constellation to us, but is the smallest. Its mass is such a meager that it is barely enough to maintain the process of the formation of helium from hydrogen necessary for existence. The star is completely dull. Proxima is much easier than the Sun, somewhere seven times. And the temperature on its surface is significantly lower: "Total" three thousand degrees. The brightness of the proxim is inferior to the sun a hundred fifty times.

Red dwarfs

The small asterisk of proxima refers to the spectral class M with very low luminosity. Another name of the celestial bodies of this class is widely known - red dwarfs. Stars with such a small mass - the most interesting objects. Their internal structure is something similar to the structure of giant planets, such as Jupiter. The substance of red dwarfs is in an exotic state. In addition, there are assumptions that planets that are located near these stars may be suitable for life.

Red dwarfs live very long, much longer than any other stars. They are very slowly evolving. Any nuclear reactions inside them begin to spike only in several billion years after the origin. The lifetime of red dwarf is more than the existence of the whole universe! So, in the distant-distant future, when not one star type star will go out, the red dwarf proxima of the centaution will be all the dull shine in the darkness of the cosmos.

In general, red dwarfs are the most frequent stars in our galaxy. More than 80% of all star bodies make up exactly they. And here is a paradox: they are quite unclear! The naked eye will not notice any of them.

Measure

Until now, the ability to accurately measure the dimensions of such small stars as red dwarfs, because of their weak luminosity, it was simply not possible. But today this problem is solved with the help of a special VLT interferometer (VLT - abbreviation from English Very Large Telescope). This is an apparatus operating on the basis of two large 8.2-meter VLT telescopes located in the Astronomical Observatory Paraval (ESO). These two huge telescope removed from each other 102.4 meters allow you to measure with such accuracy, which is simply not under the power of other devices. So astronomers of the Geneva Observatory first obtained the exact dimensions of such a small star.

Changeable centaution

According to its sizes, the proxima Centaurion borders between the real star, the planet and is still a star. The mass and diameter of it make up one seventh mass, as well as, respectively. Star massive than Planet Jupiter, one hundred and fifty times, but weigh one and a half times less. If the proxima Centauri had fun even smaller, she would simply could not become a star: it would not have enough hydrogen in her depths to emit light. In this case, it would be a conventional brown dwarf (i.e., dead), not a real star.

By itself, proxima is a very dull celestial body. In the usual state, its luminosity reaches no more than 11m. It brightly adds only in the pictures made by huge telescopes, such as, for example, Hubble. However, sometimes shine stars sharply and significantly enhances. Scientists explain this fact that the proxima of the Centaurus refers to the class of so-called changeable, or flashes, stars. This is caused by strong outbreaks on its surfaces, which are the results of the rapid convection processes. They are somewhat similar to those that occur on the surface of the Sun, only much stronger, which even leads to a change in the brightness of the star.

Another child

These rapid processes and outbreaks suggest that nuclear reactions occurring in the depths of the proxyma Centaurus have not yet stabilized. Conclusions of scientists: This is another young star by the standards of space. Although her age is quite comparable with the age of our sun. But proxima is a red dwarf, so they can not even be compared. After all, like other "red fellow", it will be very slow and economically burn their nuclear fuel, and therefore shining very, very long - approximately three hundred times longer than our whole universe! What is there to talk about the sun ...

Many science fiction writers believe that the proxima Centauro is the most suitable for space research and adventure star. Some believe that the planets are hiding in her universe, where other civilizations can be found. Maybe it is so, but only the distance from the Earth to the proxim Centaurus - more than four light years. So, even though she is the closest, but still is far away.

What is the distance from the ground to the nearest star-proxy Centauro?

1. Count - 3.87 light years * by 365 days * 86400 (number of seconds in days) * 300 000 (speed of light km / s) \u003d (approximately) like Ustinova Vladimir, and the sun is only 150 million km
2. Perhaps there are stars and closer (the sun does not count), only they are very small (White Dwarf For example), only they have not yet been discovered. 4 light years - all the same far ((((((
3. The nearest star from the sun, proxima Centaurus. Its diameter is less than seven times, the same applies to its masses. Its luminosity is 0.17% of the luminosity of the Sun, or only 0.0056% in the visible human eye spectrum. This explains the fact that it is impossible to see it with the naked eye, and the fact that it was opened only in the XX century. The distance from the Sun to this star is 4.22 light years. That on cosmic standards is almost near. After all, even the gravity of our Sun spreads, approximately half of this distance! However, for humanity, this distance, truly, huge. Distance across the planets are measured in light years. How much will light in vacuum for 365 days. This value is 9,640 billion kilometers. To understand the distances, we give a few examples. The distance from the ground to the moon is 1.28 luminous seconds, and with modern technologies, the journey takes 3 days. Between the planets of our solar distance system ranges from 2.3 light minutes to 5.3 light hours. In other words, the longest journey will take a little more than 10 years on a unmanned spacecraft. Now consider how much time we need to fly to proxim Centaurus. Currently, the speed champion is the drone Space ship Helios 2. Its speed is 253,000 km / h or 0.02334% of light speed. Calculating, learn that to the nearest star we need to get 18,000 years. With the current level of technology development, we can provide the work of the spacecraft only for 50 years.
4. The digits are difficult to present distances. If our sun is reduced to the size of the matchbox, then the distance to the nearest star will be approximately 1 kilometer
5. Before the proxima of Centaurus is about 40,000,000,000,000 km ... 4.22 light years .. to Alpha Centauro 4.37 Light. of the year…
6. 4 light years (approximately 37,843,200,000,000 km)
7. Confuse something, respectable colleague. The nearest star is the sun. 8 minutes with a little from not light goes 🙂
8. Before Proxima: 4.22 (+ - 0.01) SV Year. Or 1.295 (+ -0.004) parses. Taken from here.
9. to proxima Centaurial 4.2 light years is 41 734 219 479 449.6 km, if 1 light year is 9 460 528 447 488 km
10. 4.5 light years (1 parsen?)
11. There are stars in the universe that are so far from us that we do not even have the ability to find out the distance to them or set their number. But how far from the ground is the nearest star?

    The distance from the ground to the Sun is 150,000,000 kilometers. Since the light moves at a speed of 300,000 km / s, it takes 8 minutes to overcome the distance from the Sun to the Earth.

    The closest to our stars of proxima Centaur and Alpha Centauro. The distance from them to the Earth is 270,000 times more than the distance from the Sun to the Earth. That is, the distance from us to these stars is 270,000 times more than 150,000,000 kilometers! Their light need 4.5 years to reach the Earth.

    The distance to the stars is so great that it was necessary to develop a unit of measurement of this distance. It is called a light year. This is the distance that light passes within one year. This is about 10 trillion kilometers (10,000,000,000,000 km). The distance to the nearest star exceeds this distance of 4.5 times.

    Of all the stars in the sky, only 6000 can be seen without a telescope, a naked eye. Not all of these stars are visible from the UK.

    In fact, looking at the sky and watching the stars, they can be counted a little more than a thousand. A powerful telescope can be detected many many times more.

With the help of telescopes of the European South Observatory (ESO), astronomers managed to make another amazing discovery. This time they discovered accurate evidence of the existence of exoplanets, rotating in orbit around the closest stars closest to the ground - proxima Centaur. The world, named proxima Centauri B (Proxima Centauri B), has long been looking for scientists throughout the Earth. Now, thanks to its discovery, it was established that the period of his appeal around the native star (year) is 11 terrestrial days, and the surface temperature of this exoplanet is suitable for the possibility of finding water in liquid form. By itself, this stone world is a bit larger than the earth and, as well as the star, has become the closest to us from all such space objects. In addition, it is not just the closest to the land of an exoplanet, it is the closest world suitable for the existence of life.

The proxima Centauro is red dwarf, and it is located at a distance of 4.25 light years from us. The star received its name is not just like that - this is another confirmation of proximity to Earth, as Proxima is translated from Latin as the "nearest". This star is located in the constellation of Centaurus, and its luminosity is so weak that it is absolutely impossible to notice with a naked eye, and besides, it is quite close to a much brighter pair of stars α Centaurus AB.

During the first half of 2016, the proxima Centaur was regularly studied using a HARPS spectrograph installed on a 3.6-meter telescope in Chile, as well as at the same time other telescopes from around the world. A star was studied as part of the Pale Red Dot campaign (pale red or red spot), during which scientists from the University of London studied the stars vibrations caused by the presence of an unidentified exoplanets at its orbit. The name of this program is a direct reference to the famous image of the earth with distant winds of the solar system. Then Karl Sagan called this picture (Blue Pyatyshko). Since the proxima of the Centaurus is red dwarf, the program name has been adjusted.

Since this topic of search for exoplanets caused a wide public interest, the progress of scientists in this work since mid-January to April 2016 was constantly publicly published on the program's own website and through social media. These reports were accompanied by numerous articles written by experts from around the world.

"The first hints for the possibility of existence here exoplants we received, but our data was then inconclusive. Since then, we have stubbornly worked to improve our observations with the help of the European Observatory and other organizations. For example, the planning of this campaign took about two years, "the guillium of Anglad-Eskud, the head of the research team.

The Pale Red Dot campaign data, in combining with earlier observations conducted in ESO Observatory and others, showed the presence of a clear signal of the presence of exoplanets. It was very precisely established that from time to time the proxima Centaurus approaches the ground at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour, which is equal to the usual human speed, and then moved at the same speed. This regular radial speed change cycle is repeated with a period of 11.2 days. A thorough analysis of the resulting Doppler displacements indicated the presence of planets here with a mass, at least 1.3 times the mass of the Earth at a distance of 7 million kilometers from the proxy Centaurus, which is only 5 percent of the distance from the ground to the Sun. In general, such detection was technically possible only in the last 10 years. But, in fact, the signals even with smaller amplitudes were discovered before. However, stars are not smooth gas balls, but the proxima Centaurus is a very active star. Therefore, exactly the discovery of the proximation of Centaurial B has become possible only after receiving a detailed description of how the star varies on a time scale from minutes to decades, and controlling its luminosity with light measuring telescopes.

"We continued to check the data that the received signal does not contradict what we found. It was done every day for another 60 days. After the first ten days, we had confidence, after 20 days we realized that our signal corresponds to expectations, and after 30 days all the data categorically argued about the opening of the exoplanets of the procamation of Centauri B, so we began to prepare articles on this event. "

Red dwarfs, such as the proxima Centaur, are active stars and have many tricks in their arsenal in order to be able to imitate the presence of exoplanets on their orbits. To exclude this error, the researchers controlled the change in the brightness of the star using the ASH2 telescope in the San Pedro de Attack observatory in Chile and the Las Cumbras Observatory telescope network. Information on radial speeds when the star luminosity increased, was excluded from the final analysis.

Despite the fact that the proxima Centaur B rotates much closer to his star than Mercury around the Sun, the procamium of the Centaurus itself is much more weak of our shining. As a result, the detected exoplanet is located exactly in the region around a star suitable for the existence of life in the form in which we know it, and the estimated temperature of its surface allows you to present water in liquid form. Despite such a moderate orbit, the conditions of existence on its surface can be under a very strong effect of ultraviolet radiation and X-ray flashes from a star, which are much more intense than those effects that the sun has on Earth.

The actual possibility of this type of planet to support liquid water and have a life similar to earthly, is a matter of intense, but mainly theoretical debates. The main arguments that speak against the presence of life are associated with the proximity of the price of Centaurs. For example, such conditions under which it always turns to the star to one side can be created on the proximation of Centauri B, which is why on one half of the eternal night, and for another eternal day. The atmosphere of the planet could also slowly evaporate or have more complex chemistry than the earthly, due to strong ultraviolet and X-ray radiation, especially during the first billion years of life of the star. However, so far no argument has been proven completely, and they are unlikely to be eliminated without direct observational evidence and obtain the exact characteristics of the atmosphere of the planet.

Two separate works were devoted to the inhabitants of the procamation of Centauri B and its climate. It has been established that today it is impossible to exclude the existence of liquid water on the planet, and in this case it may be present on the surface of the planet only in the most sunny regions, or in the hemispheres of the planet, always referred to the star (synchronous rotation), or in a tropical belt (3: 2 resonant rotation). The rapid movement of the proximation of Centaurial B around the star, the strong radiation of the procamation of the price ventilation and the history of the formation of the planet made the climate on it completely not like on Earth, and it is unlikely that the proxima of Centauri B generally possesses seasons.

One way or another, this discovery will be the beginning of large-scale further observations, both with current instruments, and followed by a generation of giant telescopes, such as a European extremely large telescope (E-ELT). In the following years, the procimation of Centauri B will be the main goal for finding a life at another point of the Universe. This is quite symbolic, as the Alpha Centaurus system is also selected for the purpose of the first attempt of mankind to move to another starry system. The Breakthrough Starshot project is a research and engineering project in the framework of the Breakthrough Initiatives Program on the development of the concept of the fleet of spacecraft using a light sail called Starchip. Such a type of spacecraft will be able to travel to the star system Alfa Centaur, removed by 4.37 light years from the ground, at a speed between 20 and 15 percent of the speed of light, which will take from 20 to 30 years, respectively and about 4 years to Notify the land on successful arrival.

In conclusion, I would like to note that many exact methods of search for exoplanet are based on the analysis of its passage of the star and star light through its atmosphere. Currently, there is no evidence that the proxima Centaurial B passes through the Disk of the Parental Star, and the ability to see this event is currently negligible. However, scientists hope that in the future the effectiveness of observation instruments will increase.

According to different estimates, in our galaxy is from 200 to 400 billion stars. Currently, the closest star to the sun is the Red Dwarf Proxima Centaurus, the distance to which is 4.24 light years. But this is at the moment. As you move around the center of the Milky Way, the situation in the vicinity of our solar system is constantly changing - some stars are removed from us, some opposite are approaching, and sometimes there are at all for quite small on astronomical standards of distances from the Sun.

Source: ru.wikipedia.org

For example, after 27,000 years, the proxima Centaurus approaches the Sun at a minimum distance in 2.9 light years, after which the distance between the stars will again begin to increase. 6000 years after that the star closest to the Sun will be the Red Dwarf Ross 248, which will at that time be from us at a distance of 3.02 light years.

Source: Matthews, R. A. J. (1994)

3.02 light years of course less than 4.24, but from our point of view it does not change anything in general. More interestingly closer star contacts when the luminaries come closed at distances sometimes smaller than one day year. Previously, the most likely candidate for such a close convergence was considered an orange dwarf glyze 710. Star, the mass of which is 60% solar, is now at a distance of 45 light years from the solar system. However, according to the calculations of astronomers in 1,360,000 years, Glyze 710 will become the star to us, passing at a distance of 1.100 ± 0.577 light years from the Sun.

However, this is not the limit. Dr. Corin Baler-Jones from the Institute of Astronomy Society of Max Planck Society has conducted a study of the trajectories of 50,000 stars in order to find out which of them in the near (on astronomical standards) of the future can be held next to our system. According to its calculations, the most important candidate for close convergence is the orange dwarf Hip 85605, which is now at a distance of 16 light years from the sun.

Data Baler Jones about five closest star conversations. From left to right: HIP 85605, glise 710, HIP 91012, HR 1614 and HIP 85661.
Source: C.A.L. Bailer-Jones.

According to Baler-Jones, in the interval between 240,000 and 470,000, HIP 85605 will be held at a distance from 0.13 to 0.652 light years from the Sun. As it is not difficult to notice, the lower boundary of this assessment is much less than in the case of Glyze 710. 0.13 of the light year is 8200 astronomical units or 48 light days: "Voyager-1" would need 200 years of flight to overcome such a distance. As for Glyze 710, according to the calculations of the scientist, it will take away from 0.32 to 1.43 light years from the Sun in the interval between 1,300,000 and 1,480,000.

Of course, those close on astronomical standards spans are interesting in terms of the issue of their influence on the Oort cloud. It is believed that the gravity of the star can break the comets in this region from their orbits and catapult them into the inner part of the solar system, which will lead to a comet bombardment by planets - including land. Some scientists suggest that precisely such events explains mass extinction.

Comet bombing of the solar system in the artist's representation
Source: NASA / JPL

However, it is worth noting that firstly, we have too little data on the characteristics of the deort cloud - its exact sizes, the density of the bodies in it and its overall stability is to calculate the consequences of such a gravitational perturbation. And secondly, such rapprochement occurs quite regularly. For example, judging by the data obtained during the study of Baler-Jones, only 15,000 years ago Wang Maanena Star (White Dwarf, having a mass of 70% solar) passed from our system at a distance of 3 light years.

Sketchy view of the dew cloud