Alpha Centauri
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Biggest Space Discoveries in 2025: From New Comets and Black Holes to Sign of Life on Mars
The year 2025 proved extraordinary for astronomy, delivering discoveries that stretched from our cosmic backyard to distant galaxies. Scientists tracked Comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known interstellar object, while nearby stars like Barnard’s Star and Alpha Centauri revealed new planetary companions. On Mars, strange “leopard spots” raised ...
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TARS: Sunlight-Powered Space Slingshot Could Propel Tiny Probes to the Stars
Astronomer David Kipping has proposed TARS, a sunlight-driven space slingshot. Using reflective panels spun in space, it can fling small probes at escape speed. Though Alpha Centauri is over a thousand years away, this simple, fuel-free idea could pave the way for future interstellar missions.
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A New 'Earth' Next Door? Scientists Detect Possible Habitable Planet Around Closest Sun-Like Star
Astronomers using JWST have detected a giant exoplanet in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A, our nearest Sun-like star.
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James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
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4 Small Planets Found Around One of Closest Stars To Earth: What We Know
Diminutive Barnards Star is closer in size to Jupiter than to the Sun. Only the three stars that make up the Alpha Centauri system lie closer to us.
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Alpha Centauri May Have Sent Millions of Asteroids into the Solar System
A study proposes that Alpha Centauri could be contributing a significant number of asteroids to the solar system. Simulations indicate that around 50 objects from the neighboring star system may enter the Oort Cloud annually. While most pass through due to their high velocity, a few could travel inward. The frequency of such occurrences is expected...
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Over 1 Million Interstellar Objects Could Be Hidden in Our Solar System
A new study reveals that more than 1 million interstellar objects, each larger than the Statue of Liberty, may be residing in the Oort Cloud. These objects, believed to have originated from the Alpha Centauri system, were captured by the Sun’s gravity and are now part of our solar system. Unlike fast-moving interstellar visitors, these objects re...
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NASA Launches First of Three Rockets to Investigate Alpha Centauri, Study Habitable Star Conditions
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched the first of three rockets that will be heading to the stars Alpha Centauri A and B. The X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC) mission was launched on June 26 from Australia. It is the first NASA mission launched from a commercial facility outside the US. With two more lau...
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NASA Could Send Probe To Nearby Exoplanet By 2069
To look for signs of life beyond our solar system, the US space agency could send a spacecraft to the nearby Alpha Centauri system by 2069, according to a mission concept presented by a NASA scientist.
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Giant Telescope in Chile to Seek Habitable Planets in Alpha Centauri
Interest in exploring Alpha Centauri has increased since scientists announced last year that they had discovered evidence of an Earth-sized planet circling Proxima Centauri.
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Biggest Space Discoveries in 2025: From New Comets and Black Holes to Sign of Life on Mars
The year 2025 proved extraordinary for astronomy, delivering discoveries that stretched from our cosmic backyard to distant galaxies. Scientists tracked Comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known interstellar object, while nearby stars like Barnard’s Star and Alpha Centauri revealed new planetary companions. On Mars, strange “leopard spots” raised ...
-
TARS: Sunlight-Powered Space Slingshot Could Propel Tiny Probes to the Stars
Astronomer David Kipping has proposed TARS, a sunlight-driven space slingshot. Using reflective panels spun in space, it can fling small probes at escape speed. Though Alpha Centauri is over a thousand years away, this simple, fuel-free idea could pave the way for future interstellar missions.
-
A New 'Earth' Next Door? Scientists Detect Possible Habitable Planet Around Closest Sun-Like Star
Astronomers using JWST have detected a giant exoplanet in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A, our nearest Sun-like star.
-
James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
-
4 Small Planets Found Around One of Closest Stars To Earth: What We Know
Diminutive Barnards Star is closer in size to Jupiter than to the Sun. Only the three stars that make up the Alpha Centauri system lie closer to us.
-
Alpha Centauri May Have Sent Millions of Asteroids into the Solar System
A study proposes that Alpha Centauri could be contributing a significant number of asteroids to the solar system. Simulations indicate that around 50 objects from the neighboring star system may enter the Oort Cloud annually. While most pass through due to their high velocity, a few could travel inward. The frequency of such occurrences is expected...
-
Over 1 Million Interstellar Objects Could Be Hidden in Our Solar System
A new study reveals that more than 1 million interstellar objects, each larger than the Statue of Liberty, may be residing in the Oort Cloud. These objects, believed to have originated from the Alpha Centauri system, were captured by the Sun’s gravity and are now part of our solar system. Unlike fast-moving interstellar visitors, these objects re...
-
NASA Launches First of Three Rockets to Investigate Alpha Centauri, Study Habitable Star Conditions
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched the first of three rockets that will be heading to the stars Alpha Centauri A and B. The X-ray Quantum Calorimeter (XQC) mission was launched on June 26 from Australia. It is the first NASA mission launched from a commercial facility outside the US. With two more lau...
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NASA Could Send Probe To Nearby Exoplanet By 2069
To look for signs of life beyond our solar system, the US space agency could send a spacecraft to the nearby Alpha Centauri system by 2069, according to a mission concept presented by a NASA scientist.
-
Giant Telescope in Chile to Seek Habitable Planets in Alpha Centauri
Interest in exploring Alpha Centauri has increased since scientists announced last year that they had discovered evidence of an Earth-sized planet circling Proxima Centauri.
