Our Universe is one big mystery, over which many scientists and researchers are puzzling. Since ancient times, interest in planet Earth and its "neighbors" has kept tens of thousands of people awake. Today, scientists have taken many steps forward in their research and answered questions, but only a few. Otherwise, space is a great mystery to humanity.
Earth and the coming stars
Planet Earth, as you know, is far from the only one in the Universe and not the largest (smallest) in size. But it is truly unique for many reasons. Among them: the presence of water and oxygen, which helps us live, unique soils, trace elements, the ideal distance from the Sun and much more. Quite often, people want to know what is happening outside our planet.
The closest star to Earth is also interesting for fans of the unusual. Since ancient times, the Sun was called that huge ball, which is located next to our planet. As you know, this unique star is different from everyone else: it consists of a hot plasma, and not a single creature in the Universe can be next to it.
Characteristic of the sun
Scientists have established that it is the sun that occupies 99.8% of the total mass of the system. In addition, the star is a source of energy, thanks to which everything that we see around happens. It was not in vain that ancient civilizations worshiped the Sun. They perfectly understood its significance in our lives and idolized it.
An interesting fact is the size of the sun. Scientists claim that 1300 planets of the Earth can be placed inside it. In addition, it, like a magnet, attracts other objects of the system and satellites, as well as cosmic dust, asteroids.
Features of the Sun
It was found that the Sun closest to Earth is the Sun, therefore (and for many other reasons) it took so much time. As a result of research, scientists found that it was formed from a cloud of gas and dust about 4.6 billion years ago. It is known that the Sun heats up very slowly, absorbing all the hydrogen around it. Thus, in a few billion years, it will reach a peak. It is possible that the closest star to Earth will expand so much that it will absorb internal planets, including ours.
No less interesting is the fact that the Sun is white, although in all people it is associated with red or orange. Studying the solar system, you can see spots on the plasma of a star. This is due to strong magnetic fields. It is believed that activity has changed over the course of eleven years. When it is minimal, there are practically no spots on the sun. It is worth noting that the luminosity emits wind and charged particles that fly around the cosmos, affecting nearby planets. If the Earth had no magnetic field, then these elements could destroy us. This invisible barrier has been saving us millions of years.
The closest star to Earth
The heavenly bodies and appearances of people have always attracted. Many are interested in which star is closest to Earth. Almost all researchers claim that this is the Sun, but there are other assumptions. According to some scientists, the closest star - the subgiant HD 140283 - is the very object that researchers have been looking for. The age of the cosmic centenar is 13.2 billion years.
But still, many are inclined to believe that the Sun is the star closest to the Earth. In fact, in a radius of 5 pc (16.308 St.), there are many space objects that are located next to our planet. In total, 57 star systems are known to date .
Feature HD 140283
So, according to some scientists, HD 140283 is the closest star to Earth. Having examined it in more detail, they revealed that the cosmic centenar is a rare species of giant bodies. This group includes objects whose mass is higher than the main sequence stars, but lower than large ones. The subgiant today is located at a distance of 186 light years from Earth . The composition and features of HD 140283 make it possible to attribute it to the second population, that is, to the group that unites the most ancient stars. Such luminaries are jokingly called objects that appeared in the youth of our universe.
Unfortunately, the oldest and closest star to the Earth is slowly dying away, that is, losing its brightness. After examining the luminary in more detail, scientists came to an unusual conclusion: the age of the object exceeded the lifetime of the whole Universe.
There is such a thing as “Methuselah”, which means “biblical centenarian”. HD 140283 claims to be such a name. But at the moment, the star is competing with another red dwarf, which may be her peer or younger brother.
Thus, around our planet there are many nearby stars that illuminate our earth at night, but are in no hurry to reveal the secrets of space. The sun is given an exceptional role.