The designations W Centauri and w Centauri refer to two different stars in the constellation Centaurus.
In astronomy, a variable-star designation is a unique identifier given to variable stars. It uses a variation on the Bayer designation format, with an identifying label preceding the Latin genitive of the name of the constellation in which the star lies. See List of constellations for a list of constellations and the genitive forms of their names. The identifying label can be one or two Latin letters or a V plus a number. Examples are R Coronae Borealis, YZ Ceti, V603 Aquilae.
Beta Centauri is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It is officially called Hadar. The Bayer designation of Beta Centauri is Latinised from β Centauri, and abbreviated Beta Cen or β Cen. The system's combined apparent visual magnitude of 0.61 makes it the second-brightest object in Centaurus and the eleventh brightest star in the night sky. According to parallax measurements from the astrometric Hipparcos satellite, the distance to this system is about 390 light-years.
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars that orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large group of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems. Star systems are not to be confused with planetary systems, which include planets and similar bodies.
Over the past few centuries, a small number of stars have been named after individual people. It is common in astronomy for objects to be given names, in accordance with accepted astronomical naming conventions. Most stars have not been given proper names, relying instead on alphanumeric designations in star catalogues. However, a few hundred had either long-standing traditional names or historic names from frequent usage.
Z Carinae and z Carinae are designations referring to stars in the constellation Carina.
The Bayer designation Upsilon Centauri is shared by two star systems, in the constellation Centaurus:
The Bayer designations c Centauri and C Centauri are distinct.
C1 Centauri is a single star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It has the variable star designation V763 Centauri, while C1 Centauri is the Bayer designation. The star has a red hue and is dimly visibly to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude that fluctuates around +5.64. It is located at a distance of approximately 600 light years based on parallax, and has an absolute magnitude of −1.05. It is drifting further away with a radial velocity of +21 km/s. At one time it was a candidate member of the Zeta Herculis Moving Group but has since been excluded.
3 Centauri is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus, located approximately 300 light years from the Sun. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint, blue-white hued star with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 4.32. As of 2017, the two visible components had an angular separation of 7.851″ along a position angle of 106°. The system has the Bayer designation k Centauri; 3 Centauri is the Flamsteed designation. It is a suspected eclipsing binary with a variable star designation V983 Centauri.
HD 125823, also known as V761 Centauri or a Centauri, is a variable star in the constellation Centaurus. It is a blue-white star that is visible to the naked eye with a mean apparent visual magnitude of +4.41. The distance to this star is approximately 460 light years based on parallax measurements. It is a member of the Upper Centaurus–Lupus subgroup of the Scorpius–Centaurus association.
HD 113703, also known by the Bayer designation f Centauri, is a multiple star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. The combined apparent visual magnitude of this system is +4.71, which is sufficient to make it faintly visible to the naked eye. The distance to this system is approximately 400 light years based on parallax measurements. It is a member of the Lower Centaurus Crux subgroup of the Scorpius–Centaurus association.
The Bayer designation θ Orionis is shared by several astronomical objects, located near RA 05h 35m DEC −05° 24′:
The Bayer designations A Centauri and a Centauri represent different stars. Due to technical limitations, both designations link here.
The designations U Centauri and u Centauri refer to two different stars in the constellation Centaurus.
The Bayer designations z Centauri and Z Centauri are distinct. Due to technical limitations, both designations link here. For the star
The Bayer designations g Carinae and G Carinae refer to separate stars:
The Bayer designation γ Sagittarii is shared by two stars in the constellation Sagittarius:
V752 Centauri is multiple star system and variable star in the constellation of Centaurus. An eclipsing binary, its apparent magnitude has a maximum of 9.10, dimming to 9.66 during primary eclipse and 9.61 during secondary eclipse. Its variability was discovered by Howard Bond in 1970. From parallax measurements by the Gaia spacecraft, the system is located at a distance of 410 light-years from Earth.
HD 101584 is a suspected post-common envelope binary about 1,800 to 5,900 light-years distant in the constellation of Centaurus. The system is bright at optical wavelengths with an apparent visual magnitude of about 7. The primary is either a post-AGB star, but more likely a post-RGB star. The secondary is a red dwarf or possibly a low-luminosity white dwarf, which orbits the primary every 150-200 days. The system is surrounded by a slowly rotating circumbinary disk, probably with a face-on orientation towards the solar system and a size of about 150 astronomical units.
The Bayer designations b Centauri and B Centauri are distinct. Due to technical limitations, both designations link here. For the star