Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 1, 2025 is “Alpha Centauri: The Closest Star System,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Telescope Live, Heaven’s Mirror Observatory ; Processing: Chris Cantrell). The original explanation runs about 152 words.

A star field is filled with red-glowing gas. Near the center is a bright star system Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our Sun. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Telescope Live, Heaven’s Mirror Observatory ; Processing: Chris Cantrell 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, January 1, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
January 1, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Telescope Live, Heaven’s Mirror Observatory ; Processing: Chris Cantrell
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 152 words

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Topics in this entry

The Sun

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On this day: January 1 in other years

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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.