AdvertisementForget Starships: New Proposal Would Use 'Starchips' To Visit Alpha CentauriApril 12, 2016Camila DomonoskefacebookEmailAn image from the European Southern Observatory shows the sky around the bright star Alpha Centauri — which appears so large because of the telescope optics and photographic emulsion — taken from photos in the Digitized Sky Survey 2. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to Earth's solar system. (ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Davide De Martin)