Centaurus constellation is located in the southern hemisphere. It is one of the Greek constellations.
Centaurus is one of the largest constellations in the sky. It represents the centaur, the half man, half horse creature in Greek mythology. Sources tend to differ on which centaur the constellation represents, but usually it is taken to be Chiron, who mentored the Greek heroes Hercules, Peleus, Achilles, Theseus and Perseus.
Centaurus contains two of the top ten brightest stars in the sky: Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri. It is also home to Centaurus A, one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky, and to the globular cluster Omega Centauri. The famous Blue Planetary nebula, also known as the Southerner, and the Boomerang Nebula are also located in Centaurus.
Centaurus was one of the constellations catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century, but it had been mentioned in earlier Greek texts by the astronomer Eudoxus and the poet Aratus.
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Centaurus is the ninth largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 1060 square degrees. It lies in the third quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ3) and can be seen at latitudes between +25° and -90°. The neighboring constellations are Antlia, Carina, Circinus, Crux, Hydra, Libra, Lupus, Musca, and Vela.
Centaurus belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, along with Aquila, Ara, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Scutum, Serpens, Sextans, Triangulum Australe, and Vulpecula.
Centaurus contains 11 stars with known planets and does not have any Messier objects. The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha Centauri, which is also the fourth brightest star in the sky. Beta Centauri, the second brightest star in Centaurus, is the tenth brightest star in night sky. There are three meteor showers associated with the constellation: the Alpha Centaurids, the Omicron Centaurids, and the Theta Centaurids.
MYTH
The origins of Centaurus go way back to the constellation that the Babylonians knew as the Bison-man (MUL.GUD.ALIM). They depicted it either as a four-legged bison with the head of a man or a creature with a human head and torso attached to the rear legs of a bison or bull. The Babylonians associated the creature with the Sun god Utu (Shamash).
In Greek and Roman times, the constellation Centaurus was associated with a centaur, a mythical creature that was half man, half horse. However, it is not entirely clear which centaur the constellation represents.
According to Ovid, the Roman poet who lived at the turn of the first millennium, it represents Chiron, the wise centaur who mentored many well-known Greek heroes: Achilles, Jason, Theseus, Heracles, and Apollo’s son Asclepius (represented by the constellation Ophiuchus), among others. Most other sources, however, associate Chiron with the constellation Sagittarius and Centaurus with one of the less civilized centaurs.
Chiron was the son of the Titan king Cronus and the sea nymph Philyra. Cronus seduced the nymph, but two were surprised by Cronus’ wife Rhea. To evade being caught in the act, Cronus turned himself into a horse. As a result, Philyra gave birth to a hybrid son.
Chiron was a well-known and respected teacher of medicine, music and hunting. He lived in a cave on Mount Pelion and taught many young princes and future heroes. He died a tragic death in the end, accidentally struck by one of Heracles’ arrows, which the hero had dipped in Hydra’s blood, a poison for which there was no cure.
Being the son of the immortal Cronus, Chiron was himself immortal. When the arrow struck him, he suffered terrible pains, but could not die. Zeus eventually released the centaur from immortality and suffering, allowing him to die, and later he placed him among the stars.
Centaurus is usually depicted as a centaur sacrificing an animal, represented by the constellation Lupus, to the gods on the altar represented by Ara constellation. The centaur’s front legs are marked by two of the brightest stars in the sky, Alpha and Beta Centauri, also known as Rigil Kentaurus and Hadar.
The two stars also serve as pointers to the Southern Cross, which lies under the centaur’s rear legs.
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