Mu Centauri — Star in Centaurus
Observe
1Physical Properties
Magnitude
3.04
Range
2.85 - 3.55
Period
8.2 hours
Variable Type
Gamma Cassiopeiae (Eruptive Be Star)
Spectral Type
B2Vnep
Star Color
Blue
(B-V -0.17)
Distance
505 ly
2Position & Identifiers
RA
13h 49m 37.0s
Dec
-42° 28' 26.0"
Constellation
Centaurus
(Cen)
HR
5193
HIP
67472
HD
120324
SAO
224471
Bayer
Mu
Variable ID
Mu Cen
Querying VizieR catalog...
3How easy to spot?
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| Equipment | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naked eye Naked eye | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| 50 mm finder 50mm finder | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| 150 mm telescope 150mm scope | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Easy
Medium
Hard
Very hard
Impossible
Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs
4Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.
Best season
Mar – May
(peak: Apr)
5Survey Image
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Explore
7
Size Comparison
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8
Compare Stars
9
Spectral Classification
10
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
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11
Stellar Lifecycle
12
Blackbody Spectrum
13
Stellar Absorption Spectrum
Simulated absorption spectrum based on spectral type. Hover over lines to identify elements.
14
Stellar Fusion
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15Stellar Notes
Gamma Cas 2.92 - 3.43V, 3.535d. Variable H alpha. Expanding circumstellar shell. R and I mags. decreased by about | 0.3m between 1965 and 1983. Variable line profiles.
Companion F2V, optical.
Sco-Cen cluster; upper Cen group of Sco-Cen assoc.
Shell star. Line profiles of MgII 4481 change in period 0.505d, about five times the period of weaker absorption | features.
16
Light Travel Time Machine
17
Relativistic Travel
Nearby in the Sky
Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.
Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.
Nu Cen
Hot blue O-type star
Star
mag 3.41
0.8°
Centaurus
Phi Cen
Hot blue O-type star
Star
mag 3.83
1.6°
Centaurus
NGC 5365
Bright spiral galaxy
Galaxy
mag 12.0
2.1°
Centaurus
Chi Cen
Colorful double, sep 85.2″
Double Star
mag 4.36
3.3°
Centaurus
Omega Centauri
NGC 5139
Large bright globular cluster
Globular Cluster
mag 3.9
6.4°
Centaurus
NGC 5460
Rich open cluster
Open Cluster
mag 5.6
6.6°
Centaurus
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