| Star | Distance (in light-years) | Apparent Magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Proxima Centauri (in Centaurus) | 4.2 | +11.0 |
| Alpha Centauri A and B (in Centaurus) | 4.3 | -0.3 |
| Barnard’s Star (in Ophiuchus) | 6.0 | +9.5 |
| Wolf 359 (in Leo) | 7.7 | +13.5 |
| Lalande 21185 (in Ursa Major) | 8.1 | +7.5 |
| Sirius A | 8.6 | -1.46 |
| Sirius B (in Canis Major) | 8.6 | -xx |
| Luyten 726-8 | 8.4 | +12.5 |
| Luyten 726-8 | 8.4 | xx |
| UV Ceti (in Cetus) | 8.4 | xx |
| Ross 154 | 9.4 | +10.5 |
| Ross 248 | 10.4 | +12.3 |
| Luyten 789-6 (in ) | 8.4 | +12.5 |
| Epsilon Eridani (in Eridanus) | 10.8 | +3.7 |
| Ross 128 | 10.9 | +11.1 |
Some of the stars closest to the Earth
The closest star to us is the Sun!
The Alpha Centauri system
The Alpha Centauri system is in the star system that is closest to the Earth. The closest star to us is Proxima Centauri, also known as Alpha Centauri C (because it is the dimmest star in the Alpha Centauri system). Proxima Centauri is about 4.2 light-years from the Sun. It has an absolute magnitude of 15.5 and an apparent magnitude of +11.05 (variable). Its spectral type is M5.5Vc.
The stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B are close binary stars.
Sirius
Sirius (which means “scorching” in Greek), also known as the dog star, is the brightest star in the sky (except for the sun). It is in the constellation Canis Major (The Great Dog). Sirius is a main sequence star that is about 70 times more luminous than the sun. It is about 8.6 light-years from Earth. It has an apparent magnitude of -1.46 and an absolute magnitude of +1.4. Sirius has a companion star (called the Pup), which is a white dwarf.