Centaurus, the Centaur, is a large southern constellation holding Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun, and Omega Centauri, the greatest globular cluster.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 21 |
|---|---|
| not placed by measurement | Omicron¹ Centauri (no usable parallax; left out of the depth below) |
| nearest star of the figure | Alpha Centauri A, 4.37 light-years (1.34 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | HIP 65936, 906 light-years (278 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 210 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Centaurus
Centaurus is an ancient Greek figure of a centaur, half man, half horse, whose legs once included the stars of Crux. Its two brightest stars, Alpha Centauri and Hadar, are the Pointers that lead the eye to the Southern Cross. Alpha Centauri is a pair of Sun-like stars with a faint red dwarf, Proxima Centauri, orbiting far out: together, the closest stars to the Sun.
The constellation also holds Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster of the Milky Way, a fuzzy star to the naked eye, and the radio galaxy Centaurus A beyond. Centaurus is a southern constellation, best seen in the southern autumn; from mid-northern latitudes only its northern part rises, low in the south.
What you see in the piece
Flown out to, the centaur tears apart: Alpha Centauri is almost at the Sun’s side while the rest of the figure lies far behind it, out to HIP 65936.
Measured or modelled
Omicron¹ Centauri has no usable parallax, so its distance is not measured: the piece pins it at a stand-in distance only so its line can still draw, and the card leaves it out of the nearest, farthest and depth. Omega Centauri may be the stripped core of a small galaxy swallowed by the Milky Way, a strong but not settled idea.
Questions
What is the closest star to the Sun?
Proxima Centauri, a faint red dwarf in Centaurus that orbits the pair Alpha Centauri A and B. Alpha Centauri A, the nearest star of this figure, is 4.37 light-years (1.34 pc) away.
How far away are the stars of Centaurus?
Of the stars with a measured distance, they range from Alpha Centauri A, 4.37 light-years (1.34 pc), to HIP 65936, 906 light-years (278 pc): the farthest is 210 × farther than the nearest. Omicron¹ Centauri has no usable parallax, so its distance is not measured.