Star profile
Psi Centauri
What is Psi Centauri
Psi Centauri belongs to the body of the Centaur, that mythological figure striding across the southern sky with two of the Sun's nearest stellar neighbours between his feet. An A-type star at 259 light-years, its white light frames itself within an immense constellation that once bordered today's Southern Cross, before that smaller pattern was carved out as its own.
Where it is and when to see it
Psi 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 culminates about 1° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 11° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 86° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 52° N.
It ranks no. 23 in brightness among the 174 stars of Centaurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rigil Kentaurus, the brightest: it lies about 23° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 260 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 Psi Centauri
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.05
- Distance
- 258.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 215.139° · Dec -37.885°
- Catalogue
- HIP 70090 · HD 125473
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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
- Sigma Centauri3.91
- Rho Centauri3.97
- HIP 718654.01
- HIP 720104.06
- HIP 574394.11