- Stars with a name
- Rigil Kentaurus
Rigil Kentaurus
α¹ Centauri
Rigil Kentaurus is a yellow star like the Sun, in the constellation Centaurus. The light you see from it tonight left it around 2022.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it never rises: it belongs to the southern sky.
Bright enough to see even from a city. Apparent magnitude -0.01.
What it’s like
It gives off 1.5 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 5,600 degrees.
It is 4.3 light years away: 41 trillion kilometres.
It is the star of people born around 2022: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.