Star profile
Gamma Centauri
What is Gamma Centauri
The fourth-brightest light in Centaurus after Alpha, Beta and Theta, Gamma Centauri looks like a single white dot to the unaided eye, yet it is in truth a pair of near-twin subgiants orbiting each other every 83 years. Its classical name Muhlifain, from Arabic for «those who have sworn an oath», unknowingly describes the tight waltz of two blue suns 130 light-years away.
Where it is and when to see it
Gamma Centauri lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 1° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 75° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 41° N.
It ranks no. 5 in brightness among the 174 stars of Centaurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rigil Kentaurus, the brightest: it lies about 20° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 130 years ago.
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Gamma Centauri
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.20
- Distance
- 130.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 190.380° · Dec -48.960°
- Catalogue
- HIP 61932 · HD 110304
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Other stars in Centaurus
Centaurus has 174 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Rigil KentaurusAlpha 1 Centauri-0.01
- HadarBeta Centauri0.61
- TolimanAlpha 2 Centauri1.35
- MenkentTheta Centauri2.06
- Epsilon Centauri2.29
- Eta Centauri2.33
- Zeta Centauri2.55
- Delta Centauri2.58