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The Cycles of Alpha Centauri

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2010

Thomas R. Ayres*
Affiliation:
Center for Astrophysics & Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, 389-UCB (CASA), Boulder, Colorado, USA email: Thomas.Ayres@Colorado.edu
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Abstract

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The main AB pair of the nearby Alpha Centauri triple system has one of the most extensive X-ray records of any cosmic object, stretching over three decades. The primary, α Cen A (G2V), is a near twin of the Sun, with a similarly soft (1–2 MK) corona. The secondary, α Cen B (K1V), is more active than the Sun, with a generally harder coronal spectrum. Here, spatially resolved measurements of the pair by Chandra's High Resolution Camera are compared, on a common basis, with previous pointings from ROSAT and XMM-Newton.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

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