With the completion of New Horizons’ primary mission of a flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto, should we now set our sights even much higher, ambitiously taking aim at other star systems? If so, Alpha Centauri would probably be considered as the best target for an interstellar spacecraft due to its ‘proximity’ to Earth.
This system, consisting of three stars and possible planetary companions, is the nearest to the Solar System, located ‘only’ about 4.3 light years from us. The problem is, getting there in our lifetime is considered a “mission impossible” – or perhaps not.
The neighboring system hosts a pair of stars named Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. Alpha Centauri C, also known as Proxima Centauri, is a small and faint “red dwarf” – a small and relatively cool star which might be gravitationally bound to the duo.
However, astronomers are uncertain as to whether exoplanets exist in this system. In 2012, the discovery of a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B was announced, but three years later a new report debunked this theory calling the previous finding a “ghost in the time series”. Moreover, in 2015, another study proposed the existence of another alien world accompanying the “B” star.
What is interesting, the two hypothetical exoplanets would be Earth-like if they really exist. This could be another motivator to send our spacecraft there. However, before any mission concepts are prepared, a deeper look into the system could be very helpful. At present, there isn’t a telescope that could directly image a planet in this system.
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