Centaurus is a vast constellation, beginning well to the north and finishing very far to the south.

The constellation lies in a rich region of the Milky Way, making it even more of a pleasure to visit.

The brightest star in Centaurus, alpha, is really a combination of two very bright stars, with magnitudes 0.14 and 1.2. Not only amongst the brightest in the heavens, the two are also the closest to the Solar System at 4.4 light years away. Only its distant companion, the very dim Proxima Centauri, is closer at 4.22 light years.

Click on alpha or any other orange-coloured object.