Centaurus (The Centaur) Constellation. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Oddly enough, Proxima Centauri is also a visual double, which is assumed to be associated with Centaurus AB pair. A line made from the other pointer, Alpha Centauri, through Beta Centauri leads to within a few degrees of Gacrux, the star at the top of the cross. For binoculars and rich field telescopes, head towards the Crux border and center on Lambda Centauri for open cluster, IC2944. Our Book is out! It is one of the lowest of the constellations, i.e. Such a one will either urge on asses with the goad and yoke together quadrupeds of mixed stock or will ride aloft in a chariot; else he will saddle horses with a fighter or drive them into the fight…Another knows how to apply the arts of healing to the limbs of animals and to relieve the dumb creatures of the disorders they cannot describe for his hearing…His is indeed a calling of skill, not to wait for the cries of pain, but recognize betimes a sick body not yet conscious of its sickness”. Just as Virgo above represents the maid placed in the sky as a sign of pity for the Centaur’s plight. But of course, this object isn’t a star – despite being listed on the catalogs as its Omega star. He died a tragic death in the end, having been accidentally struck by one of Heracles’ poisoned arrows. For binoculars or telescopes, hop on over to Centaurus A. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. NGC 5408 is another irregular galaxy, also discovered by Herschel, in 1834. Located approximately 15,800 light years distant, this cluster is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 3.7 and is approximately 15,800 light years distant. The spiral galaxy is approximately 11.7 million light years distant and has an active Seyfert II nucleus, which could be due to the presence of a supermassive black hole at its center. • F or/and G. = Flamsteed designation or Gould designation Centaurus makes people full of energy and very passionate, but with a tendency toward revenge. He was supposed to be immortal, but he voluntarily agreed to die; and, wounded by a poisoned arrow (not intended for him) while in conflict with a wild boar, he transferred his immortality to Prometheus; whereupon he was placed amongst the stars. As an immortal god, he suffered terrible pains but could not die. If you extend an imaginary line eastwards from the horizontal cross bar you’ll get to Alpha Centauri, one of the brightest stars in the sky, which shows its right front hoof. It is located in the constellation Centaurus. Zeus eventually released the centaur from immortality and suffering, allowing him to die, and later he placed him among the stars. Centaurus is usually depicted as sacrificing an animal, represented by the constellation Lupus, to the gods on the altar represented by the Ara constellation. In the 2nd century CE, Greek-Egyptian astronomer Claudius Ptolemaeus (aka. All the most distinguished heroes of Greece are described as his pupils. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 11.4. NGC 4650A, photo: NASA, The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI, AURA. Alpha Centauri, also called Rigil Kentaurus, triple star, the faintest component of which, Proxima Centauri, is the closest star to the Sun, about 4.2 light-years distant. The constellation has been associated with weapons and poison. According to legend, Cronus seduced the nymph, but they were interrupted by Cronus’ wife Rhea. Kappa Centauri is a binary star, approximately 540 light years distant. Centaurus constellation is located in the southern hemisphere. The Babylonians associated the creature with the Sun god Utu (Shamash).  • HD = Henry Draper Catalogue designation number This means that the tips of the galaxy’s spiral arms point toward the direction of disk rotation. Its brightness varies between 11.0 and 11.9 magnitudes. Primordial Black Holes, Episode 687: Open Space 89: Scott Gaudi and the HabEx Mission, Episode 686: Q&A 129: Did Life Get a Ride to Venus from our Missions? NGC 5090 is an elliptical galaxy, one associated with a strong radio source, while NGC 5091 is a spiral galaxy, seen at a steep angle, nearly edge-on. At first, scientists suspected that the inner arm was also a leading arm, but observation established that it was indeed a trailing arm. Proxima Centauri is only 4.24 light years distant from the Sun and it is the nearest star to our solar system. In the southern hemisphere you can see Centaurus all night long. We can easily see how this fable is the ignorant perversion of the primitive Revelation. These last three are far more rich in stars and photon satisfying! Rigil Kentaurus – α Centauri (Alpha Centauri). However, it is not entirely clear which centaur the constellation represents. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the solar system. They depicted it either as a four-legged bison with the head of a man or a creature with a human head and torso attached to the rear legs of a bison or bull. Alpha Centauri A, the brightest component in the system, is the fourth brightest individual star (behind Arcturus) in the night sky, B is the 21st individual brightest star in the sky. Centaurus contains 11 main stars, 9 bright stars and 69 stars with Bayer/Flamsteed designations. It contains also one of the brightest galaxies in the sky Centaurus A and the famous Blue Planetary Nebula also. The brighter stars in the horse part of Centaurus have the planetary nature of Venus and Jupiter . There are only about 100 polar-ring galaxies known. In the Greek fables Cheiron was renowned for his skill in hunting, medicine, music, athletics, and prophecy. Here is What Are The Constellations?, What Is The Zodiac?, and Zodiac Signs And Their Dates. Now, hop down to Alpha. It is either a lenticular or giant elliptical galaxy, between 10 and 16 million light years distant. Centaurus has been known to human astronomers since the Bronze Age and has gone through some changes since that time. He died a tragic death in the end, accidentally struck by one of Heracles’ arrows, which the hero had dipped in Hydra’s blood, a poison for which there was no cure. The constellation Centaurus represents the wise teacher and educator of many Greek heroes: Cheiron. BPM 37093 is a white dwarf belonging to the spectral class DAV4.4. Nu Centauri has a mean apparent magnitude of 3.41. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Designated Alpha Centauri C, it is separated by 2.2° from the binary star. Located just 4.365 light years from Earth, this multiple star system consists of a yellow-white main sequence star that belongs to the spectral type G2V (Alpha Centauri A), and a spectral type K1V star (Alpha Centauri B). Then the third and last section in this first chapter of this First Book goes on to tell of His second coming in glory.”. Delta Centauri is a Be star, a B-type star, belonging to the class B2IVne, classified as a Gamma Cassiopeiae type variable. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/, Astronomy Cast: Even to this present day, something continues to pull at NGC 5139’s stars… tidal force? The constellation has been associated with weapons and poison. Centaurus makes people full of energy and very passionate, but with a tendency toward revenge. Centaurus is the ninth largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 1060 square degrees. It is surrounded by a number of dwarf elliptical galaxies that lie within the same cluster. There are three meteor showers associated with the constellation: the Alpha Centaurids, the Omicron Centaurids, and the Theta Centaurids. This week I'll be talking Dr. Seth Shostak from the SETI Institute about his work searching the Universe for evidence of extraterrestrials. the Southerner), is a bright planetary nebula in Centauru, approximately 4,900 light years distant.  • Notes = Common name(s) or alternate name(s); comments; notable properties [for example: multiple star status, range of variability if it is a variable star, exoplanets, etc. The stars of Centaurus give intelligence and wisdom, with a talent for the sciences such as botany, medicine and astronomy, plus skill in music and divination. Another name for the constellation was in Hebrew, Asmeath, which means a sin-offering (as in Isaiah 53:10). Next up is Theta Centauri (aka. To evade being caught in the act, Cronus turned himself into a horse. As a result, Philyra gave birth to a hybrid son. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. Later, it was discovered that the galaxy had two new weak arms in the inner disk that were turning opposite the outer pair. The Greek name was Cheiron, which means the pierced, or who pierces. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK–MdCSg, Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday Its brightest star – Alpha Centauri (Rigel Kentaurus) – is the Solar System’s closest neighbor. Nu Centauri is a blue-white subgiant (spectral type B2IV), located about 475 light years from Earth. It belongs to the spectral class M5Ve or M5Vie, which means that it is either a small main sequence star or a sub-dwarf. In the Greek fables Cheiron was renowned for his skill in hunting, medicine, music, athletics, and prophecy. The ring contains young star forming tidal dwarf galaxies. Centaurus A is thought to be undergoing collision with a spiral galaxy, which it is in the process of devouring. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Zeus eventually took pity on the centaur and released him from immortality and suffering, allowing him to die, and placed him among the stars. The two stars also serve as pointers to the Southern Cross, which lies under the centaur’s rear legs. It’s a globular cluster, and the biggest and brightest of its kind known to the Milky Way Galaxy. It’s name is translated from Arabic and means “two things”, or the “swearing of an oath”, which appears to be a case of name-transfer from Muliphein, a star located in the Canis Majoris constellation. Centaurus is usually depicted as sacrificing an animal, represented by the constellation Lupus, to the gods on the altar represented by the Ara constellation. The galaxy’s strange morphology is generally recognized as the result of a merger between two smaller galaxies and photographs reveal a jet of material streaming from the galactic core. Home  /  Fixed Stars  /  Constellation Centaurus. It lies in the third quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ3) and can be seen at latitudes between +25° and -90°. It was discovered by John Herschel in 1834. The Blue Planetary nebula (aka. In the 2nd century AD, Ptolemy catalogued 37 stars in the constellation and included it as one of the 48 constellations listed in the Almagest. This, too, was the special designation of the classical Pholus…the hospitable one of the family…this centaur’s transformation to the sky as our constellation, with the fitting designation ‘Well Disposed’…In its transcribed forms Chiron and Chyron…This has appropriately the handy One, a rendering that well agrees with this Centaur’s reputation…He was imagined as a mild and noble look, very different from the threatening aspect of the centaur Sagittarius; and Saint Celement of Alexandria wrote of him that he first led mortals to righteousness. At least one of the stars is a Beta Cephei type variable, a star whose brightness varies as a result of the pulsations of its surface. As a result, there is an intense burst of star formation in Centaurus A. He lived in a cave on Mount Pelion and taught many young princes and future heroes. Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device, Name a Star - an excellent gift for any occasion. Constellation Centaurus the Centaur, sits south of constellation Virgo, between Argo Navis and constellation Lupus.