Alpha Centauri

Distance rank: by HYG distance it belongs to the Nº 2 nearest star system to the Sun (stars within 20 ly).

Naked eye: magnitude −0.01, bright enough to see without a telescope under dark skies (limit ≈ +6).

Why it matters

Light-time: the light you see left it about 4.3 years ago.

When to look: Apr–Jun, low in the south; visible only from roughly south of 29°N (south and central India).

Sources

1. Wikipedia: List of brightest stars
2. HYG Database v4.1 (D. Nash, astronexus), CC BY-SA 4.0: stars within 20 ly, derived list
3. HYG Database v4.1 (Nash), CC BY-SA 4.0
4. IAU, The Constellations (88 official names and abbreviations)

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