Top Results for Centaurus

Alpha Centauri A is a G-type main-sequence star located in the Alpha Centauri system, approximately 4.37 light-years from Earth. As the larger component of this binary star system, it closely resembles our Sun in terms of size and spectral type. This makes it a significant subject for astronomical r...

The Boomerang Nebula is a bipolar nebula residing within the Centaurus constellation. It’s recognized as the coldest known naturally occurring object at approximately 1 Kelvin. This extreme cold results from intense absorption of blue light by its central dust trap, creating a distinctive hourglass...

Alpha Centauri B is a K-type main-sequence star located approximately 4.37 light-years from Earth in the Alpha Centauri star system. It orbits the larger and hotter G-type star Alpha Centauri A, forming a binary pair. Together with the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, these stars make up the closest stel...

Hadar, officially designated Beta Centauri, is a prominent triple star system located in the southern constellation of Centaurus. The system's primary components consist of a pair of massive B-type stars that orbit each other, accompanied by a fainter, distant companion. Hadar ranks among the bright...

The Southern Crab Nebula, designated Hen 2-104, is a nebula located in the constellation Centaurus. It is classified as a symbiotic nebula, meaning it is formed by a binary star system consisting of a red giant and a white dwarf. The nebula has a bipolar structure with nested hourglass shapes create...

The Southern Coalsack is a prominent dark nebula located in the southern hemisphere, clearly visible to the naked eye as a dark patch against the backdrop of the Milky Way. It is situated in the constellation Crux, right beside the bright stars of the Southern Cross, and borders the constellations o...

NGC 3918 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Centaurus, formed from gas expelled by a dying low- to intermediate-mass star. The nebula is illuminated by its hot central stellar remnant and is often called the Blue Planetary because of its blue or turquoise appearance in astronomical images. I...

The Southern Crab Nebula, also known as Henize 2-104, is a planetary nebula formed from a binary star system within the constellation Centaurus. It’s notable for its unique bipolar structure and intense outflow activity generated by a symbiotic relationship between a massive star and a low-mass comp...

IC 2948 is a bright emission nebula and open cluster located in the constellation Centaurus. It encompasses the star-forming region known as the Running Chicken Nebula, which is illuminated by the intense ultraviolet radiation of young, hot stars. The complex is also home to Bok globules, famously k...

IC 2944 is an emission nebula in the constellation Centaurus, approximately 6,500 light-years from Earth, near the star Lambda Centauri. It is informally known as the Running Chicken Nebula and contains a young open star cluster within its glowing hydrogen gas. The nebula hosts Thackeray's Globules,...

The Running Chicken Nebula, formally designated IC 2944, is an open star cluster with emission nebulosity located in the constellation Centaurus. The H II region is recognized for its distinctive shape, which resembles a running chicken, and serves as an active star-forming area. Astronomers study i...

Robin's Egg Nebula (NGC 1360) is a planetary nebula located in the southern constellation Fornax. Discovered by Friedrich August Theodor Winnecke in 1868, it is estimated to be approximately 1,300 light-years from Earth and spans about 9 arcminutes in apparent diameter. The nebula's distinctive blue...

The Blue Planetary Nebula, designated NGC 3918, is a bright planetary nebula located in the southern constellation of Centaurus. English astronomer John Herschel discovered it in 1834 during his observational work in South Africa. It is characterized by a roughly bipolar structure, an oxygen-rich co...

HR 5171, also cataloged as V766 Centauri, is a yellow hypergiant star located in the constellation Centaurus. It is classified as one of the largest known stars in the observable universe by physical radius, measuring hundreds of times the size of the Sun. The system is scientifically notable for op...

NGC 3918, also known as the Blue Planetary nebula, is a bright planetary nebula in the constellation Centaurus, discovered by John Herschel in March 1834. It is among the most luminous planetary nebulae visible from southern latitudes and appears blue-green in telescopic views. The nebula formed whe...

Menkent, designated as Theta Centauri, is an orange giant star located approximately 61 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Centaurus. With a spectral classification of K0 III, it has expanded and cooled as it evolved away from the main sequence. It is the third-brightest star in...

IC 2948, commonly referred to as the Lambda Centauri Nebula or the Running Chicken Nebula, is a bright emission cloud located in the constellation Centaurus. It is an H II region ionized by the radiation from nearby hot stars, creating a distinct reddish glow. The nebula is highly notable among astr...

Fleming 1 is a planetary nebula located roughly 10,000 light-years away in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Discovered by astronomer Williamina Fleming, it is most notable for its complex, symmetric bipolar outflows of gas. These knotted jets are believed to be the result of precessing force...

The Running Chicken Nebula, commonly identified with IC 2944, is a large emission nebula and active star-forming region in the constellation Centaurus, roughly 6,500 light-years from Earth. Radiation from young, hot stars ionizes its hydrogen gas and causes it to glow. The region contains Thackeray'...

NGC 5367 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Centaurus associated with the cometary globule CG 12. Dust in the globule scatters light from nearby young stars, producing the nebula's visible glow, and the region is studied as part of research into low-mass star formation; it is therefore of i...

NGC 3918 is a bright planetary nebula in the southern constellation Centaurus, commonly known as the Blue Planetary Nebula. Its conspicuous blue color is produced by strongly ionized gas, especially oxygen, surrounding a hot central star. Images reveal a bright inner shell within fainter surrounding...

G292.0+1.8 is a young, oxygen-rich supernova remnant in the constellation Centaurus. It contains rapidly moving stellar ejecta and a central pulsar surrounded by a pulsar wind nebula, produced by particles released by the neutron star. Oxygen-rich remnants are uncommon in the Milky Way, and G292.0+1...

RCW 79 is a large emission nebula and H II region in the southern constellation Centaurus. It is a stellar nursery where gas affected by massive young stars forms an expanding bubble-like structure. The object is studied as an example of how radiation, stellar winds, and other activity from young st...