Alpha+Centauri

==Page last edited by Nicholas Montgomery 5-11-2018=

=**__Alpha Centauri__**=

//[|Alpha Centauri in the night sky.]//


 * //Alpha Centauri//** (also known as **//Rigel Kentaurus,//** **//Toliman,//** or //**α Centauri**//) is the closest star system to our sun. The system consists of two or three stars, known as [|Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B], and a possible related third star named //Proxima Centauri//. Alpha Centauri is seen as a single star to the naked eye - the third brightest star in the night sky behind only //Sirius// and //Canopus//. Its distance from Earth ranges around 4.37 light years (or 277,600 AU). The system also has [|a planet almost the size of Earth], named //Alpha Centauri Bb//, located ten times closer than Mercury's distance to our Sun, and is considered the closest exoplanet to our system. Unlike most stars, Alpha Centauri is most commonly referred to by its bayer designation rather than its given names.

**__Observation__**

 * [|Glyphweb.com]
 * []
 * © copyright Mark Fisher 1999-2012
 * Unknown date of last update.
 * Last revised by Daniel Iverson, 12/3/12
 * Started by Daniel Iverson
 * //ACCURACY//: Using Stellarium, I was able to locate Alpha Centauri using the observation notes provided by this websites. Some factual information on the site may be questionable, but not particularly incorrect.
 * //READABILITY and CLARITY//: With its easy use of astronomy-related terms, I would estimate that the site is targeted towards those that are interested in astronomy, but do not need to be full-fledged astronomers to understand.
 * //EASE of NAVIGATION//: Website provides a massive index on figures in the sky and where you can observe them.
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: October 28,2016

__**Location**__

 * [|Interstellar.jpl.nasa.gov]
 * []
 * More information from website is to be obtained from Dr. Paulett Liewer of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA.
 * Last updated 2/8/00
 * Last revised by Daniel Iverson, 12/3/12
 * Started by Daniel Iverson
 * //ACCURACY//: Despite the website being over twelve years outdated, its information appears accurate to trust.
 * //READABILITY and CLARITY//: Website can be a little difficult to read in regards to vocab and terms, so its main audience may be those who know more about astronomy, if not professional astronomers.
 * //EASE of NAVIGATION//: Navigation is time-consuming, for each individual page is reached by numerous "Next" and "Back" links with no quick-search.
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: October 28, 2016

[[image:182joqt6ch1zujpg.jpg]]
=**The craft that may take us to Alpha Centauri**= [|The Light sail that may take us to alpha centauri] This article discusses the idea of a new kind of advanced space propulsion in the works that will be powered by the energy created by light.
 * Contibuter: John Timmer
 * Study: Yuri Milner
 * EditedBy:
 * Uploaded Date: 5-7-2018
 * Reviewed By: Nicholas Montgomery
 * Date Reviewed: 5 - 15 - 2018
 * Accuracy: Mostly Trustworthy
 * Ease of Navigation:not overly complex to read

=Alpha Centauri Massive solar Eruption= [|The stars massive temper tantrum] A massive solar flare has erupted from one of the major stars of alpha centauri, endangering planets in the system with high UV radiation
 * Contributer: Andrei Santov
 * Study:
 * EditedBy:
 * Uploaded Date: 4 - 14 - 2018
 * Reviewed by: Nicholas Montgomery
 * Date reviewed: 5/15/2018
 * Accuracy:Trustworthy
 * Ease of Navigation: The article is brief and easy to understand

=The Alpha centauri solar flare may have fried its most earthlike exo planet= [|Our hopes for another inhabitable planet may have ended here] With the recent massive solar flare in Alpha Centauri, our hopes for Proxima B being inhabitable have potentially plummeted, due to the intense radiation and bombardment from the flare
 * Contributer: Lisa Grossman
 * Study: Merideth MacGregor
 * EditedBy:
 * Uploaded Date: 5 - 5 -2018
 * Reviewed by:Nicholas Montgomery
 * Date reviewed: 5 - 15 - 2018
 * Accuracy: Trustworthy
 * Ease of Navigation: Slightly more academic wording than some articles

=**What will the Weather look like on Proxima B?**= [|Scientists first steps towards finding out]
 * Contributer: Deborah Byrd
 * Study: Ian Boutle
 * EditedBy:
 * Uploaded Date: May 15, 2017
 * Reviewed By: Nicholas Montgomery
 * Date reviewed:May 9, 2018
 * Accuracy: Trustworthy
 * Ease of Navigation: Comes from a larger article on Alpha Centari, relatively easy to find

Since the discovery of the Alpha Centauri system, and Proxima B specifically, we have had yet to truly explore. Given the proximity of Proxima B to it's own sun, it is quite possible that it could have some conditions similar to earth. Now researchers are starting to dig deeper in an attempt to find the truth of that. The researchers have performed simulations as to how they believe the climate will behave, the major difference being that the light provided by the sun closest to Proxima B is nearly infared. Even in regards to that, the data they have collected suggests areas of proxima B being inhabitable and host to liquid water.

=New Advances in technology may Aid Astronomers in finding more planets in Alpha Centauri=

[|New Tech Could Help Astronomers See Planets Around Alpha Centauri]
 * Contributer: Charles Q. Choi
 * Study: Rusan Belikov
 * EditedBy: Space.com
 * Uploaded Date: January 5, 2018
 * Reviewed By: Nicholas Montgomery
 * Date Reviewed: May 9, 2018
 * Accuracy: Trustworthy
 * Ease of Navigation: Easy to find article

Using a tool known as a Corneograph (A instrument that blocks out the glaring light of stars) it may be possible to see more planets in alpha centauri that were previously hidden. By 2020 they hope to have advanced the technology further to learn more about the Alpha Centauri system.

[|Space.com]

 * []

Astronomers detected the alien planet around the sunlike star Alpha Centauri B. This system contains Three stars just 4.3 light-years form earth. This planet recently discovered is same size as Earth. It could help spark humanity's first steps beyond our solar system. The discovery of this new planet should encourage the efforts to explore the three-star Alpha Centauri system.
 * Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer
 * Last updated 10/16/12
 * Last revised by Daniel Iverson, 12/3/12
 * Started by Daniel Iverson
 * //ACCURACY//: Information is up-to-date and accurate for knowledge to be taken.
 * //READABILITY and CLARITY//: Easy read, possible for most ages; probably aimed towards young amateur astronomers.
 * //EASE of NAVIGATION//: All links are their own links, and are easy to find with or without their search engine.
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: November 30,2106

=__**Possibility of Life and Destination**__=

If humans built a generation ship that could travel as quickly as the fastest thing we've put in space, we'd still be looking at tens of thousands of years between wheels up and wheels down. Excluding orbiting vessels like NASA's Space Shuttles (which could circle Earth at up upwards of 17,500 mph/28,000 kph) and the Helios 2 spacecraft (which zips around the Sun at around 150,000 mph / 240,000 kph), the record-holder for fastest solar escape velocity belongs to the Voyager 1 probe, which for the last several decades has been coursing through space at speeds upwards of 38,000 mph / 62,000 kph. That's over 17 kilometers per second — but even at those speeds, Voyager 1 is [|only just now poised to exit our solar system]; were it heading in the right direction, it would still take over 70,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri. = = = = =**Alpha Centauri mission by 2100? Make it so, experts say**= = = = = = = =Nasa"s Hubble Space Telescope Revels Millions of Stars at Galactic Core= Uploaded by NASA September 2, 2016. credibility; ESA, NASA Accuracy: Phys.org Readability: It has a easy language to understand Ease of Navigation: The website is very easy to access. Reviewed By : Dacia Garcia Date Reviewed: December 6, 2016
 * [|io9.com]
 * []
 * Robert T. Gonzalez
 * Last Updated 10/16/12
 * Last Revised by Daniel Iverson, 12/3/12
 * Started by Daniel Iverson
 * //ACCURACY//: Article is a blend of fact and science-fiction. Mostly appears accurate, but tread lightly.
 * //READABILITY and CLARITY//: Website and content are very casual but appear professional, probably targeted towards teens or people who spend frequent time on the internet.
 * //EASE of NAVIGATION//: There are numerous sites on the page, but very few relate to astronomy, let alone Alpha Centauri
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 6, 2016
 * [|NBCNews.com]
 * []
 * Mike Wall of SPACE.com
 * Last updated 10/18/12
 * Last revised by Daniel Iverson, 12/3/12
 * Started by Daniel Iverson
 * //ACCURACY//: From trustable sources and page is from widely acclaimed news team.
 * //READABILITY and CLARITY//: Reading-difficulty is that of any generic news site, with no hinted target audience.
 * //EASE of NAVIGATION//: Finding space-related sites here is a challenge, but can be done.
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 6, 2026

Alpha Centauri A is a G2 stellar type because the range in color from white and yellow (spect), and slightly bigger than Alpha Centauri B,which is slightly smaller. They orbit a common center of gravity once every 80 years, with a minimum distance of about 11 times the distance between Earth and the sun. Because these two stars are, together with their sibling Proxima Centauri, the closest to Earth, they are among the best studied by astronomers. And they are also among the prime targets in the hunt for habitable exoplanets. Using the European Space Organization's HARPS instrument, astronomers already discovered a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B. Then on Aug. 24, 2016, astronomers announced the intriguing discovery of a nearly Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone orbiting the star Proxima Centauri. . Last edited September 2, 2016

This team hopes to find "another Earth" around Alpha Centauri
https://vimeo.com/speculativefilms/earthproxima
 * The Search to** find "another planet" around Alpha Centauri
 * Co-Directed by Brett Marty & Josh Izenberg
 * Uploaded: Spectacularfilms.com
 * Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 1:12 AM EST
 * Cinematography: Owen Bissel, Andy Quinn.
 * Time Lapse Photography: Andy Quinn, Brett Marty, Josh Izenberg
 * Editors: Kee Heywood, Hamilton Henson
 * Title Design: Colin Gill
 * Producer by Brett Marty and Josh Izenberg
 * Accuracy: Nasa, ESO, Mission Centaur
 * Readability and clarity: the subject was explained in easy way to understand.
 * Navigation: very easy to access to the video
 * ReviewedBy: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 7, 2016

A group of scientists is d etermined to take a photograph of an Earth-like planet around our closest Sun-like stellar neighbors, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. (There's a dimmer red dwarf companion, Proxima Centauri, that is slightly closer.) In the style of the Pale Blue Dot  photo taken in 1990, the scientists hope to capture an image they say will be so powerful it unites the human race..... One of the most exciting alignments predicted by this study is between the more massive star in the Alpha Centauri pair, named Alpha Centauri A, and a distant background star—probably a red giant—nicknamed S5. In May 2028, there is a strong chance that the light from S5 will create an Einstein ring around Alpha Centauri A, observable with ESO's telescopes. This would provide a unique opportunity to look for planetary or low-mass objects in our nearest star system. This is particularly exciting in the light of the recent discovery of the planet Proxima b, which orbits the third star in the same star system, known as Proxima Centaur

= = =A rare opportunity for planet hunting in Alpha Centauri A predicted for 2028=

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-10-rare-opportunity-planet-alpha-centauri.html#jCp


 * Uploaded by Phys.org
 * October 24, 2016
 * Editors:P Kervella
 * Journal Reference: Astronomy and Astrophysics
 * Provided by: ESO
 * Tittle Design; A rare opportunity for planet hunting in alpha centauri A predicted for 2028
 * Accuracy: ESO. Nasa
 * Readability: Very credible since the article is provided by ESO
 * Navigation: easy access to the web.
 * Reviewed: Garcia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 7, 2016

One of the most exciting alignments predicted by this study is between the more massive star in the Alpha Centauri pair, named Alpha Centauri A, and a distant background star—probably a red giant—nicknamed S5. In May 2028, there is a strong chance that the light from S5 will create an Einstein ring around Alpha Centauri A, observable with ESO's telescopes. This would provide a unique opportunity to look for planetary or low-mass objects in our nearest star system. This is particularly exciting in the light of the recent discovery of the planet Proxima b, which orbits the third star in the same star system, known as Proxima Centauri = = = = =Why did it take so long to find Proxima B= [|why did it take so long to find Proxima b?]


 * Why Did It Take So Long To Find Proxima B?
 * Author: Megan Gannon ( Space .com)
 * Uploaded Date : August 25, 2016
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 5, 2016
 * Accuracy: ESO/Pale Red Dot.
 * Readability: the wording is simple
 * Ease of Navigation: very comfortable way to access

Proxima seems like a good place to look for exoplanets. The new planet, known as Proxima b, was very hard to find since is a small world that orbits a small star. Which is to dim to be seen from Earth with naked eyes. For several years, we have the technical ability to detect this planet, but to finding this new work required a dedicated, intensive campaign to detect its very faint signal. As we can see even if we have the right technology to look for exoplanets, it is not easy to find.

=Is Alpha Centauri the right place to search for life elsewhere?= [|s alpha centauri the right place to search] http://phys.org/news/2016-04-alpha-centauri-life.html[|Proxima b,closest rocky planet]
 * Uploaded: April 13, 2016
 * By: Jonti Homer (University of Southern Queensland)
 * Journal Reference: Astronomy and Space.
 * Credibility: Y Beletsky (LCO) ESO,CCBY,
 * Date Review: December 4, 2016
 * Reviewed: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 4, 2016.
 * Accuracy: The information is accurate and the source is reliable.
 * Readability: The terminology used in this article is very simple to understand.
 * Ease go Navigation: it is easy to find, but there is more pages beyond the home page.

Steven Hawking is backing a project to send a tiny spacecraft to another star system within a generation. The idea is that this little spacecraft would travel trillions of miles farther than any other previous craft. Interstellar travel has long been a dream for many, but significant technology hurdles remain. The one million question is: is Alpha Centauri the right place to search for life? This new founded planet is so far from us that it seem possible to reach it. Until now, nobody has created a spaceship that travel faster than light. To achieve the goal of look for life in the new planet is a simple dream. It will be amazing if that happened. Meanwhile we can see this idea as a fiction since until now this kind of mission is impossible.

ESO Discovers Earth-size Planet In Habitable

[|ESO discoverers Eart size planet in habitable]
 * Author: Elizabeth Landau (NASA Exoplanet Program)
 * Uploaded Date: August 24, 2016
 * Edited By: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 * California Institute of Technology
 * Credit: NASA ESO? M. Kornmosser
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 5, 2016
 * Accuracy: A trusty website
 * Readability: The way the article is explained is easy to follow
 * Ease of Navigation: one, two, and three that's simple is the access to it.

Paul Hertz, the director of Astrophysics Division at NASA, congratulates ESO on the discovery of this new planet that might be habitable since astronomers explained that this exoplanet is at a distance from its star that allows liquid water on his rocky surface.Yet the scientist don't know yet if the planet has an atmosphere. This planet orbits a red star, far smaller and cooler than our sun. The discovery of this exoplanet is a major milestone on the road to finding other possible life-worlds within our stellar neigborhood. This planet that might has life boots the evidence that such planets are near, and that several of them are probably sitting quite close to us. This is very exciting.

=How Chemistry Could Figure Out If There's Life On Planets Like Proxima b=

l√[|how chemistry could figure out if there's life on planets like proxima b]
 * Contributor: Carmen Drahl
 * Study: Sara Seager (MIT)
 * EditedBy: WhoaScience
 * Uploaded Date: August 29, 2016
 * Reviewed By: Dacia Garcia
 * Date Reviewed: December 6, 2016
 * Accuracy: Not
 * Ease of Navigation: No easy access to the website, there is many option to choose to get to the desire topic.

The is so many speculations about life on other planets, but we have to talk about signatures of life.It is hard to prove if another planets are habitational zones for humans. Scientist have been working to prove that, yet they are far away to achieve the goal. They are limited in resources. They just can predict by observing the conditions of that planet but we are not capable to build a spacecraft and travel to Proxima b to get the right examples to prove that life can exit there. This planet nobody had see it. Scientists are limited in the knowledge on the conditions of this particular planet. They only know that it is a rocky planet and its orbits a star with the right temperature to make the planet a habitable zone. But it is no enough. We don't know if the planet has atmosphere. On of the most challenging but most exciting, want to know if the exoplanet atmosphere contains gasses that might indicate if the planet is possible inhabited. Humans are so small yet to have the technology necessary to be able to get the data to prove the existence of life outside of earth. Unfortunately, there's no chemical smoking gun in the search for extraterrestrial life.

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