Star profile
Chi Centauri
Variable starWhat is Chi Centauri
χ Centauri belongs to the Scorpius-Centaurus complex, the nearest association of young blue stars to the Sun. Its sisters share a common origin: a molecular cloud that gave birth to hundreds of massive suns a few tens of millions of years ago. Its brightness varies slightly —a common trait of young hot stars— as it travels through the rich southern region of the Centaur.
Where it is and when to see it
Chi 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 May, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 8° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 83° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 49° N.
It ranks no. 35 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 510 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Chi Centauri
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.36
- Distance
- 510.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 211.512° · Dec -41.180°
- Catalogue
- HIP 68862 · HD 122980
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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
- 3 Centauri4.32
- HIP 628674.33
- Upsilon 2 Centauri4.34
- HIP 703004.41
- HIP 591734.46