When will alpha centauri b die?

Answer 1

Science is unable to know for sure if there is life on the planets surrounding Alpha Centauri. However, it has been identified as one of the environments likely most similar to earth's environment.

Answer 2

Alpha Centauri is a binary star system, andpossibly a triple star system.

Alpha Centauri A is a G2V star similar to our own Sun.
Alpha Centauri B is a K1V star
Alpha Centauri C (Proxima Centauri) is a M5 star.

A will end it's life, similar to our Sun, by first expanding as a red giant and them shed it's our layers before becoming a white dwarf.
B will end it's life the same as above.
C will end it's life, eventually, after about four trillion years, by just fading away.

However, there is a possible chance that if B becomes a white dwarf before A, then it might be able to accrete mass from A and become a nova.

Answer 3

Dating the demise of a star is very difficult. We know that Alpha Centauri A is very similar to our own Sun - albeit a bit larger - and they formed around the same time, so A will probably end it's life a little earlier than our own Sun (Approximately 4 billion years time). Alpha Centauri B is a much cooler star than A, so will probably out live it.

However, because they are a binary pair and their close approach to each other (11 AU) it is possible that when A becomes a white dwarf, it may be able to accrete hydrogen off of B to produce a nova explosion. However, because of the highly eccentric orbit, this seems unlikely.

In that case B will continue as a orange dwarf for billions more years.

Answer 4

Alpha Centauri B is a star similar to our Sun and is estimated to have a lifespan of around 6-7 billion years. It is currently around 6 billion years old, so it still has several billion years left before it exhausts its nuclear fuel and reaches the end of its life cycle.

Answer 5

No, its not.It's 5.5 billion years old.