Artist’s impression of the planet around Alpha Centauri B (annotated)

This artist’s impression shows the planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri B, a member of the triple star system that is the closest to Earth. Alpha Centauri B is the most brilliant object in the sky and the other dazzling object is Alpha Centauri A. Our own Sun is visible to the upper right. The tiny signal of the planet was found with the HARPS spectrograph on the 3.6-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada/Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org)

About the Image

Id:eso1241b
Type:Artwork
Release date:16 October 2012, 23:50
Related releases:eso1241
Size:4000 x 2500 px

About the Object

Name:Alpha Centauri, Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, Sun
Type:Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Planetary System
Category:Exoplanets
Illustrations

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