3 Centauri

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3 Centauri A/B
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0
Constellation
(pronunciation)
Centaurus
Right ascension 13h51m49.6s
Declination −32°59′40″
Apparent magnitude (V) +4.56/+6.06
Characteristics
Spectral type B5IIIp/B8V
U-B color index −0.60
B-V color index −0.13
Variable type eclipsing binary?
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv) +10 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −35.74 mas/yr
Dec.: −30.14 mas/yr
Parallax (π) 10.96 ± 0.88 mas
Distance 298 ly (91.2 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV) −0.23/+1.27
Other designations
k Centauri, V983 Centauri, HR 5210/5211, HD 120709/120710, CD−32°9676, HIP 67669, SAO 204916/204917, GC 18724/18725, CCDM J13518-3300
Database references
SIMBAD data

3 Centauri is a binary star in the constellation Centaurus. It is approximately 298 light years from Earth.

The primary component, 3 Centauri A, is a blue-white B-type giant with a mean apparent magnitude of +4.56. It is a variable star, and its brightness varies from magnitude +4.27 to +4.32 It is suspected the variations in luminosity are a result of the primary being an eclipsing binary, which would mean the system would consist of at least three objects. Its more distant companion, 3 Centauri B, is located 7.9 arcseconds away. It is a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf and has an apparent magnitude of +6.06.