Star profile
Rigil Kentaurus
Alpha 1 Centauri · Centaurus
Nearby starWhat is Rigil Kentaurus
Rigil Kentaurus, the «foot of the centaur», is the closest Sun-like star to our own: at just 4.3 light-years away, its glow takes only a little over four years to cross the void and reach the Earth. It anchors the triple Alpha Centauri system, set in the southern constellation Centaurus, beyond the reach of most of mainland European skies. Ptolemy already catalogued it in the second century, and southern navigators used it for centuries to find their bearing toward the pole on a starless night.
Where it is and when to see it
Rigil Kentaurus 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 63° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 29° N.
It is the brightest of the 174 stars of Centaurus in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.
The light you see today left it about 4 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Rigil Kentaurus
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Apparent magnitude
- -0.01
- Distance
- 4.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 219.911° · Dec -60.834°
- Catalogue
- HIP 71683 · HD 128620
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.
- HadarBeta Centauri0.61
- TolimanAlpha 2 Centauri1.35
- MenkentTheta Centauri2.06
- Gamma Centauri2.20
- Epsilon Centauri2.29
- Eta Centauri2.33
- Zeta Centauri2.55
- Delta Centauri2.58