The stellar neighbourhood is the Sun’s immediate surroundings among the stars, a sparse scattering of mostly faint red dwarfs led by the Alpha Centauri system.
About The stellar neighbourhood
The nearest stars to the Sun are the three stars of Alpha Centauri: the Sun-like pair Alpha Centauri A and B, and the small red dwarf Proxima Centauri, slightly closer than the others. Beyond them lie Barnard’s Star, Wolf 359, Sirius and a scattering of others at similar distances.
Most of the neighbours are red dwarfs, small cool stars far too faint to see with the naked eye even this close. Bright naked-eye stars such as Sirius and Procyon are the exception. Many neighbours come in pairs or larger systems, and several are known to host planets.
What you see in the piece
Every star here is placed at its measured distance. From this far out the Sun is just one more point of light, and the red dwarfs fade from view quickly as you move away from them.
Questions
What is the nearest star to the Sun?
Proxima Centauri, a small red dwarf belonging to the Alpha Centauri system.
What kind of stars are near the Sun?
Mostly red dwarfs, too faint to see without a telescope. Only a few neighbours, such as Sirius, Procyon and Alpha Centauri, are bright in our sky.