Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri is located 4.37 light years from the sun making it the closest star to the earth. Although it is the closest star to Earth, it is not the brightest star seen from Earth; that designation goes to Polaris which is about 400 light-years away. Alpha Centauri is commonly referred to as a star (in the singular), but it is actually a binary star system which appears to be a single object to the unaided eye.