Fig. 1. Simulated planet brightness and basic properties of the α Centauri system.

a N-band (10–12.5 μm) contrast vs. angular separation of planets around α Centauri A (blue) and B (green), assuming face-on circular orbits, a Bond albedo of 0.3 and internal heating that provides an additional 10% of the planets’ equilibrium temperatures. The curves correspond from bottom to top to planetary radii equivalent to that of Earth, a Super-Earth (1.7 × Earth’s radius, R_⊕), Neptune, and Jupiter. The blue and green shaded regions show the location of the classical habitable zones around α Centauri A and B, respectively¹³. b Diagram of the orbital properties and approximate habitable zones of the α Centauri AB system. Note that this diagram does not show the 79° inclination of the orbit as seen from Earth, or the tertiary dwarf star, Proxima Centauri, at ~10⁴ au.