Can We Get to Alpha Centauri?

The video discusses the challenges and possibilities of interstellar travel, focusing on sending probes to Alpha Centauri, our closest star system. It highlights the discovery of an Earth-like exoplanet, Alpha Centauri BB, and the immense distance of 4.3 light years. Current technology would take thousands of years to reach it, but future propulsion systems like solar sails or antimatter engines could make the journey feasible within a human lifetime.

What is a major challenge in sending probes to other stars?

• The probes cannot withstand the cold of space.

• The probes will be obsolete in 50 years.

• The probes are too expensive to build.

• The probes cannot communicate with Earth.

What makes Alpha Centauri A and B notable in the night sky?

• They are the closest stars to Earth.

• They are the brightest stars in the sky.

• They are the third brightest star system in the night sky.

• They are the largest stars in the galaxy.

What is a significant characteristic of the exoplanet Alpha Centauri BB?

• It is located in the habitable zone.

• It orbits its star in 3.2 days.

• It has a mass similar to Jupiter.

• It is made entirely of gas.

How long would it take Voyager One to reach Alpha Centauri?

• 10,000 years

• 165,000 years

• 70,000 years

• 1,000 years

What speed is considered necessary for a spacecraft to reach Alpha Centauri within a human lifetime?

• 1% the speed of light

• 50% the speed of light

• 100% the speed of light

• 10% the speed of light