Alpha Centauri is the closest star to Earth (after the Sun), with its light taking just over 4 years to reach us (4.37 light years from the Sun).

Alpha Centauri is the third brightest star in our night sky and can be found in the Centaurus constellation. Alpha Centauri is a binary star system composed of two stars – Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. A third star, Alpha Centauri C or Proxima Centauri is a much fainter red dwarf star also in the mix.