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Centaurus

Centaurus: A large and bright constellation in the southern sky that represents a centaur in Greek mythology. It contains many notable stars, such as Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun, and Omega Centauri, the brightest globular cluster in the Milky Way.
Stars: Centaurus has 281 stars above magnitude 6.5, making it the constellation with the most visible stars. It also has many double stars, binary stars, and variable stars. Alpha Centauri is a triple star system that includes Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. Beta Centauri is a double star that, along with Alpha Centauri, forms the "Pointer" to the Southern Cross. Theta Centauri is the only bright star of Centaurus that is easily visible from mid-northern latitudes.
Deep-sky objects: Centaurus is home to many galaxies, galaxy clusters, nebulae, and clusters. Centaurus A is one of the closest active galaxies to Earth, with a supermassive black hole at its core. The Centaurus Cluster is one of the closest galaxy clusters to Earth, with a high concentration of metals in its intracluster medium. NGC 4622 is a spiral galaxy with arms that wind in both directions. NGC 4650A is a polar-ring galaxy with a dark matter halo. NGC 3918 is a bright planetary nebula known as the Blue Planetary.
History and culture: Centaurus was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It was originally larger, as it included the stars of Lupus, Crux, and Circinus. It was associated with the centaur Chiron, who was a tutor to many Greek heroes. In Chinese astronomy, the stars of Centaurus were divided among three areas: the Azure Dragon, the Vermillion Bird, and the Southern Asterisms. In Polynesian astronomy, Centaurus had different names and meanings in different islands. In Bugis astronomy, Centaurus was used for navigation. Two US Navy ships were named after Centaurus.
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constellation Centaurus art Centaurus