Star profile
Eta Centauri
Variable starWhat is Eta Centauri
Eta Centauri is a blue star spinning at over 330 km/s, close to the speed at which it would tear itself apart. That ferocious rotation flings gas from its equator into a circumstellar disc that flickers in and out of brightness across many seasons. It burns with roughly 8,700 times the Sun's light from a surface near 25,700 K, 306 light-years away in the flank of the Centaur.
Where it is and when to see it
Eta 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 7° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 82° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 48° N.
It ranks no. 7 in brightness among the 174 stars of Centaurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rigil Kentaurus, the brightest: it lies about 19° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 310 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Eta Centauri
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works
We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.
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 Eta Centauri
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.33
- Distance
- 305.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 218.877° · Dec -42.158°
- Catalogue
- HIP 71352 · HD 127972
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
- MenkentTheta Centauri2.06
- Gamma Centauri2.20
- Epsilon Centauri2.29
- Zeta Centauri2.55
- Delta Centauri2.58