One other first magnitude star Beta Centauri is in the constellation in a position beyond Proxima and toward the narrow axis of Crux, thus with Alpha forming a far-south limb of the constellation. The Alpha couple revolve in 80-year periodicity and will next appear closest as seen from Earth's telescopes in 20, together as they appear to the naked eye they present the third-brightest "star" in the night sky. Also a flare star, Proxima has minutes-long outbursts where it brightens by over a magnitude. Proxima, the tertiary star, is a red dwarf of magnitude 11.0 it appears almost 2 degrees away from the close pairing of Alpha and has a period of approximately one million years. The primary and secondary are both yellow-hued stars the first is of magnitude −0.01 and the second: 1.35. Traditionally called Rigil Kentaurus or Toliman, meaning "foot of the centaur", the system has an overall magnitude of −0.28 and is 4.4 light-years from Earth. Īlpha Centauri is a triple star system composed of a binary system orbited by Proxima Centauri, currently the nearest star to the Sun. Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to the Sun, has a high proper motion it will be a mere half-degree from Beta Centauri in approximately 4000 years.
Centaurus has 281 stars above magnitude 6.5, meaning that they are visible to the unaided eye, the most of any constellation.
Its alpha and beta stars are used as "pointer stars" to help observers find the constellation Crux. Stars Ĭentaurus contains several very bright stars. This image is reversed from what one sees looking at the sky - it is as though one is looking at the " celestial sphere" from the outside. The constellation also contains Omega Centauri, the brightest globular cluster as visible from Earth and the largest identified in the Milky Way, possibly a remnant of a dwarf galaxy.Ĭentaurus in the Firmamentum Sobiescianum of Johannes Hevelius. Notable stars include Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Solar System, its neighbour in the sky Beta Centauri, and V766 Centauri, one of the largest stars yet discovered. In Greek mythology, Centaurus represents a centaur a creature that is half human, half horse (another constellation named after a centaur is one from the zodiac: Sagittarius). One of the largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Visible at latitudes between + 25° and − 90°.īest visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of May.Ĭentaurus / s ɛ n ˈ t ɔːr ə s, - ˈ t ɑːr-/ is a bright constellation in the southern sky.
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