Iota Centauri
Encyclopedia
Iota Centauri is a star
in the constellation
Centaurus
. It carries the rarely applied traditional name Alhakim ("The Wise One"), dervived from the Arabic
title Kentaurus al-Hakeem (قنطورس الحكيم), meaning "The Wise Centaur".
In Chinese
, , meaning Pillars
, refers to an asterism consisting of ι Centauri, υ2 Centauri
, υ1 Centauri
, a Centauri
, ψ Centauri
, 4 Centauri
, 3 Centauri
and 1 Centauri
. Consequently, ι Centauri itself is known as
ι Centauri is a white A-type
main sequence dwarf
with an apparent magnitude
of +2.75. It is approximately 58.62 light years
from Earth
.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Centaurus
Centaurus
Centaurus is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations.-Stars:...
. It carries the rarely applied traditional name Alhakim ("The Wise One"), dervived from the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
title Kentaurus al-Hakeem (قنطورس الحكيم), meaning "The Wise Centaur".
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Pillars
Horn (Chinese constellation)
The Horn mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of ι Centauri, υ2 Centauri
Upsilon2 Centauri
Upsilon2 Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. υ2 Centauri is a yellow-white F-type bright giant with an apparent magnitude of +4.34. It is approximately 420 light years from Earth....
, υ1 Centauri
Upsilon1 Centauri
Upsilon1 Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus.υ1 Centauri is a blue-white B-type subgiant with an apparent magnitude of +3.87. It is approximately 418 light years from Earth....
, a Centauri
V761 Centauri
V761 Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus.V761 Centauri is a blue-white B-type giant with a mean apparent magnitude of +4.41. It is approximately 419 light years from Earth. It is classified as an SX Arietis type variable star and its brightness varies from magnitude +4.38 to +4.43...
, ψ Centauri
Psi Centauri
Psi Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. ψ Centauri is a white A-type subgiant with an apparent magnitude of +4.05. It is approximately 247 light years from Earth....
, 4 Centauri
4 Centauri
4 Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. It is a blue-white B-type subgiant with an apparent magnitude of +4.75 and is approximately 670 light years from Earth....
, 3 Centauri
3 Centauri
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...
and 1 Centauri
1 Centauri
1 Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus.1 Centauri is a yellow-white F-type subgiant with an apparent magnitude of +4.23. It is approximately 62.83 light years from Earth....
. Consequently, ι Centauri itself is known as
ι Centauri is a white A-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
main sequence dwarf
Main sequence
The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
with an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +2.75. It is approximately 58.62 light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.