hip-56497

Its story

In Centaurus, this orange K-type star radiates the warm, velvety tone of its class —cooler than the Sun but clearly larger. Its light set out 192 years ago, just as Faraday was discovering electromagnetic induction in 1831, the breakthrough that would open the electrical age. Its steady golden glow fits into the southern tapestry with the firmness of a tranquil flame, a counterweight to the bluish splendor of neighboring giants.