Star profile
Hadar
Beta Centauri · Centaurus
Variable starWhat is Hadar
Hadar burns as a blue beacon in the forefoot of the Centaur, a variable giant whose magnitude shifts gently with the pulse of its outer layers. The light arriving tonight across 392 light-years left when Galileo first turned his telescope skyward in the early 17th century. Southern observers know it as Beta Centauri, the inseparable companion of Alpha Centauri on the path toward the Southern Cross.
Where it is and when to see it
Hadar lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the brightest stars in the sky: visible even from a city. Its best month of the year is May, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 64° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 30° N.
It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 174 stars of Centaurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rigil Kentaurus, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 390 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Hadar
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 0.61
- Distance
- 392.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 210.956° · Dec -60.373°
- Catalogue
- HIP 68702 · HD 122451
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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
- TolimanAlpha 2 Centauri1.35
- MenkentTheta Centauri2.06
- Gamma Centauri2.20
- Epsilon Centauri2.29
- Eta Centauri2.33
- Zeta Centauri2.55
- Delta Centauri2.58