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Hadar - β Centauri (beta Centauri)

Hadar, also designated as β Centauri (beta Centauri), is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Centaurus.

Hadar visual magnitude is 0.61, making it the 11th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Hadar is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Hadar:

Color of Hadar ⬤

Magnitude of Hadar 0.61

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Hadar - β Centauri (beta Centauri) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Hadar

Hadar is situated south of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern emisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Hadar are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 14h 03m 49s

Declination J2000 -60° 22’ 23”

Galactic Longitude 311.77°

Galactic Latitude 1.25°

Constellation Centaurus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Hadar in the sky:

Finder chart Hadar - β Centauri (beta Centauri) star

Simplified finder chart for Hadar - β Centauri (beta Centauri).

Visibility of Hadar from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Hadar - β Centauri (beta Centauri) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Digitized Sky Survey image of Hadar

The image below is a photograph of Hadar from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of Hadar is -0.032 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.019 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Hadar - β Centauri (beta Centauri) star

DSS2 image of Hadar. The red arrow shows the motion of Hadar during the next 10000 years (-5.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.17 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Hadar from the Sun and relative movement

Hadar is distant 524.96 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 6 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 161.03 pc

Distance (light year) 524.96 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 6 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.032 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.019 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Hadar

Hadar belongs to spectral class B1 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude -5.42

Spectral Type B1III

Color Index (B-V) -0.23

Temperature of Hadar 14354K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where Hadar is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

H-R diagram showing the position of Hadar. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Hadar star system properties

Hadar is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Hadar double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 0.61

Secondary star magnitude 3.81

Magnitude difference 3.2

Separation 1.3 arcsec

Alternative designations of Hadar

Proper Name Hadar

Bayer designation β Centauri
(beta Centauri)

Henry Draper Catalogue HD122451

SAO Catalogue SAO252582

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP68702

Durchmusterung Catalogue CP-59 5365

FK5 Catalogue 518

General Catalogue of Variable Stars Bet Cen

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