Theta Centauri
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Right ascension | 14h 06m 40.94752s |
| Declination | −36° 22′ 11.8371″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +2.06 |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | Red clump |
| Spectral type | K0 III |
| U−B color index | +0.90 |
| B−V color index | +0.99 |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +1.3 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −520.53 mas/yr Dec.: −518.06 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 55.45±0.20 mas |
| Distance | 58.8 ± 0.2 ly (18.03 ± 0.07 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | 0.87 |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.27 M☉ |
| Radius | 10.77±0.45 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 56.0+2.6 −2.5 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 2.61±0.09 cgs |
| Temperature | 4,853±41 K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.047±0.032 dex |
| Other designations | |
| Menkent, θ Cen, Theta Cen, 5 Centauri, CD−35° 9260, FK5 520, HD 123139, HIP 68933, HR 5288, SAO 205188, LHS 2858 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Theta Centauri or θ Centauri, officially named Menkent (/ˈmɛŋkɛnt/), is a single star in the southern constellation of Centaurus, the centaur. With an apparent visual magnitude of +2.06, it is the fourth-brightest member of the constellation. Based on parallax measurements obtained during the Hipparcos mission, it is about 58.8 light-years (18.0 parsecs) distant. It has a relatively high proper motion, traversing the celestial sphere at the rate of 0.73 arcsecond/yr. This suggests that Menkent may have originated in the outer disk of the Milky Way and is merely passing through the solar neighborhood.