Alpha Centauri B is a star that is about the same size as the Sun. Why does it appear much smaller and dimmer than the Sun when seen from Earth? A) It is cooler than the Sun. B) It has less energy than the Sun. C) It is farther away from Earth than the Sun. D) It travels faster around Earth than the Sun.

Question

Pedro Harding

Biology

3 April, 09:00

Alpha Centauri B is a star that is about the same size as the Sun. Why does it appear much smaller and dimmer than the Sun when seen from Earth? A) It is cooler than the Sun. B) It has less energy than the Sun. C) It is farther away from Earth than the Sun. D) It travels faster around Earth than the Sun.

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Answers (2)

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Carly · Answer 1

C) It is farther away from Earth than the Sun.

Explanation:

Alpha Centauri B is a star almost the same size as the sun and with a high energy content, however it is very distant from the earth at a distance of 4.365 ± 0.004 light years, which makes it seen as a small star, not as bright and not as powerful as the sun itself.

The sun, on the other hand, is at a distance of 0.000015692 light years, which means that it is very close and that is why we can perceive its size and luminosity.

Andre Jensen · Answer 2

C. Although Alpha Centauri B is similar in size to the sun, it is much further away from earth. The sun is 8 minutes away from earth at the speed of light, while Alpha Centauri B and earth is more than 4 light years apart.