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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 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
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
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