Far Centaurus
| "Far Centaurus" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by A. E. van Vogt | |
Cover of January 1944 Astounding | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Astounding SF |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | Magazine, Paperback, Graphic novel |
| Publication date | January 1944 |
"Far Centaurus" is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in Astounding Science Fiction in January 1944. Writer and critic P. Schuyler Miller called it "unforgettable and unforgotten."
The story involves the crew of a sleeper ship that arrives at Alpha Centauri after five centuries, only to find the planets there already settled by people who arrived in faster-than-light ships. The basic idea of technological progress rendering previous advances obsolete, has been explored in many works.