Astronomers will launch a telescope to search for habitable planets around Alpha Centauri

The search for'another Earth' has been a staple of science fiction for decades, and now a group of astronomers hope to discover one on our galactic doorstep. Alpha Centauri is a triple star system just over four light years from the Earth, split into a pair of sun-like stars known as AB, and a red dwarf called Proxima Centauri. So far planets have only been found orbiting Proxima Centauri, but experts from the University of Sydney and Breakthrough Initiatives believe they will find a world orbiting the larger binary pair using a new privately funded telescope. Known as the Toliman mission, it will launch in 2023 and scan Alpha Centauri AB for worlds in the habitable zone, where liquid water can flow on the surface. The team hope to be able to say whether there are habitable worlds orbiting either or both of the binary stars by the middle of this decade.