ζ Centauri (zeta Centauri)
ζ Centauri is a sub-giant star in the constellation of Centaurus.
ζ Centauri visual magnitude is 2.55. Thanks to its high brightness, ζ Centauri 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 ζ Centauri:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ζ Centauri
ζ Centauri 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 ζ Centauri are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of ζ Centauri in the sky:
Visibility of ζ Centauri from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
ζ Centauri (zeta Centauri) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Digitized Sky Survey image of ζ Centauri
The image below is a photograph of ζ Centauri 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 ζ Centauri is -0.057 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.042 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Distance of ζ Centauri from the Sun and relative movement
ζ Centauri is distant 384.43 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 7 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of ζ Centauri
ζ Centauri belongs to spectral class B2 and has a luminosity class of IV corresponding to a sub-giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where ζ Centauri is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
