Star · B2.5 V
b Cen A
b Cen A is a main-sequence star of spectral type B2.5 V in the constellation Centaurus, 325.1 light-years from the Sun. It is orbited by 1 confirmed exoplanet(s).
| Other names | HIP 71865 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 325.1 light-years (99.7 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 4.01 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −0.98 |
| Spectral type | B2.5 V |
| Surface temperature | 12,630 K |
| Luminosity | 447 L☉ |
| Radius | 4.42 R☉ |
| Mass | 5.5 M☉ (estimated) |
| Age | 0.0 billion years |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 41m 57.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −37° 47′ 37″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 20.6 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 4.01). Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 52° N. South of latitude 52° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1701. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 5.8 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around b Cen A, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 9.82, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Perseus. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Planets
- b Cen AB b 1.79 × 10⁶-day orbit · 12.4 R⊕
Neighbours
Its nearest neighbours in the catalogue (within 20 light-years):
- HIP 71558 11.7 light-years
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.