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Sky Chart and Artist Rendering of Centaurus
Origin:
Centaurus is an enormous, conspicuous southern constellation through
which the Milky Way passes. The half-man, half-horse motif surely
comes from the ancient Greeks but the Centaur, unlike Sagittarius, is portrayed as a wise teacher
rather than a war-like hunter.
Information:
Centaurus is a Fall constellation for southern observers, being highest
in the sky around 9 pm early in June (remember, the seasons are reversed
in the southern hemisphere). Only part of Centaurus is ever
visible to northern observers north of 20° N lat. It is home to
the third brightest star (Alpha Centauri), the nearest star (Proxima
Centauri - 4.22 light years), the best globular cluster visible from
Earth (Omega Centauri), and one of the brightest extragalactic radio
source (peculiar galaxy Centaurus A).
The centaur is standing over and surrounds Crux, the Cross. The top of Centaurus extends
all the way to the southern-most aspect of Hydra. |
