The closest star to Earth is the Sun at a distance of 150 million km. Travelling in a straight line at the speed of a modern jet aircraft it would take us about 19 years to reach it. The nearest star system to the Sun is that of Alpha Centauri, which is at a distance of about 40 million million km. Imagine how long it would take to get there!

The pointer stars with Alpha Centauri on the bottom. Photo Nick Lomb