Quote:
Originally Posted by worth
I say screw terraforming mars. lets go to alpha centauri...it's only what, 4.3 light years away? much faster than terraforming...just have to figure out the travel at the speed of light part... and then off we go!
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Well take into account that Alpha Centauri is one star in a triple star system also composed of Beta Centauri and the more distant and much smaller red dwarf Proxima Centauri. Note: Alpha and Beta Centauri orbit each other ellipticly at an average distance of 23 AU*. Proxima Centauri orbits A and B at a distance of 13,000 AU.
You would need to know there is a planet to settle there. I imagine there would be planets circling both Alpha and Beta Centauri, but would they be gas giants, or terrestrial planets? More than likely terrestrial because of the gravitational effects of binary systems theoretically limit the formation of Gas Giants. Anyways, going to the Centauri Star system poses just as many obstacles as terraforming mars
*denotes Astronomical Units; 1 AU = The average distance between the Earth and the Sun.