Alpha Centauri Quiz: Our Nearest Neighboring Star System

Southern stargazers can spot a brilliant point near the Southern Cross that is really three stars, and this Alpha Centauri quiz explains our nearest neighboring system. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Alpha Centauri A and B, Proxima Centauri, the 4.24 light-year distance, Proxima b, Robert Innes, the pointer stars, flares and Breakthrough Starshot.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Count
How many stars make up the Alpha Centauri system?
Closest
Which star is the closest to the Sun?
Distance
How far away are Alpha Centauri A and B?
Bright
How does Alpha Centauri rank in brightness from Earth?
Hemisphere
Where is Alpha Centauri easily seen?
Pointers
Which constellation do Alpha and Beta Centauri point to?
Proxima
What type of star is Proxima Centauri?
Discoverer
Who discovered Proxima Centauri in 1915?
Planet
Which planet was announced in 2016 in Proxima's habitable zone?
Probe
Which project proposes sending tiny light-sail probes there?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How many stars make up the Alpha Centauri system?
Answer: Three
A, B and Proxima Centauri.
Q2: Which star is the closest to the Sun?
Answer: Proxima Centauri
It is about 4.24 light-years away.
Q3: How far away are Alpha Centauri A and B?
Answer: About 4.37 light-years
Light takes over four years to reach us.
Q4: How does Alpha Centauri rank in brightness from Earth?
Answer: Third brightest star in the night sky
Sirius and Canopus are brighter.
Q5: Where is Alpha Centauri easily seen?
Answer: From the Southern Hemisphere
It never rises for much of the north.
Q6: Which constellation do Alpha and Beta Centauri point to?
Answer: The Southern Cross
They are called the pointers.
Q7: What type of star is Proxima Centauri?
Answer: A red dwarf
It is a flare star.
Q8: Who discovered Proxima Centauri in 1915?
Answer: Robert Innes
He worked in South Africa.
Q9: Which planet was announced in 2016 in Proxima's habitable zone?
Answer: Proxima b
It orbits in about 11 days.
Q10: Which project proposes sending tiny light-sail probes there?
Answer: Breakthrough Starshot
Lasers would push the sails.

Alpha Centauri Quiz – Our Nearest Neighboring Star System

Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Sun. It has three stars: Alpha Centauri A and B, a close pair about 4.37 light-years away, and Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf at about 4.24 light-years, the nearest star of all.

Seen from the Southern Hemisphere, A and B combine into the third brightest star in the night sky. With Beta Centauri, they point toward the Southern Cross. Robert Innes discovered faint Proxima in 1915.

In 2016 astronomers announced Proxima b, a planet in Proxima's habitable zone, though strong flares may affect it. The Breakthrough Starshot project proposes sending tiny light-sail probes to the system.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans and students will enjoy these questions.

How many stars are there
How far away they are
Where to see them
Which planets exist
How we might visit

Did You Know?

A and B orbit each other about every 80 years.
Its traditional name is Rigil Kentaurus.
Proxima is too faint to see without a telescope.
Alpha Centauri features in much science fiction.
Proxima d was also reported later.