Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 26, 1996 is “Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit and Copyright: STSci Digitized Sky Survey, Anglo-Australian Observatory). The original explanation runs about 182 words.

Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System
Credit and Copyright: STSci Digitized Sky Survey, Anglo-Australian Observatory Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The closest star system to the Sun is the Alpha Centauri system . Of the three stars in the system, the dimmest — called Proxima Centauri — is actually the nearest star .”

— APOD editors, May 26, 1996

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 26, 1996
Type
Image
Credit
Credit and Copyright: STSci Digitized Sky Survey, Anglo-Australian Observatory
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 182 words

All of May 1996 → · 1996 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Sun

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 26 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.