Gamma Centauri, Latinized from γ Centauri, is a binary star system in the

southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the earliest constellation ...

of Centaurus. It has the proper name Muhlifain, not to be confused with Muliphein, which is γ Canis Majoris; both names derive from the same Arabic root. The system is visible to the naked eye as a single point of light with a combined apparent visual magnitude of +2.17; individually they are third-magnitude stars. This system is located at a distance of about from the Sun based on parallax. In 2000, the pair had an angular separation of 1.217

arcseconds A minute of arc, arcminute (arcmin), arc minute, or minute arc, denoted by the symbol , is a unit of angular measurement equal to of one degree. Since one degree is of a turn (or complete rotation), one minute of arc is of a turn. The ...

with a position angle of 351.9°. Their positions have been observed since 1897, which is long enough to estimate an

orbital period The orbital period (also revolution period) is the amount of time a given astronomical object takes to complete one orbit around another object. In astronomy, it usually applies to planets or asteroids orbiting the Sun, moons orbiting pla ...

of 84.5 years and a

semimajor axis In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the lo ...

of 0.93 arcsecond. At the distance of this system, this is equivalent to a physical separation of about . The combined stellar classification of the pair is A1IV+; when they are separated out they have individual classes of A1IV and A0IV, suggesting they are A-type subgiant stars in the process of becoming giants. The star Tau Centauri is relatively close to Gamma Centauri, with an estimated separation of . There is a 98% chance that they are co-moving stars.

Etymology

Chinese astronomy Astronomy in China has a long history stretching from the Shang dynasty, being refined over a period of more than 3,000 years. The ancient Chinese people have identified stars from 1300 BCE, as Chinese star names later categorized in the tw ...

, (), meaning ''

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

'', refers to an asterism consisting of γ Centauri, ζ Centauri, η Centauri, θ Centauri, 2 Centauri,

HD 117440 HD 117440, also known by its Bayer designation d Centauri, is a binary star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It is visible to the naked eye with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 3.90. The distance to this system ...

, ξ¹ Centauri, τ Centauri, D Centauri and σ Centauri. Consequently, the Chinese name for γ Centauri itself is (, en, the Seventh Star of Arsenal). The people of Aranda and

Luritja The Luritja or Loritja people, also known as Kukatja or Kukatja-Luritja, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory. Their traditional lands are immediately west of the Derwent River, that forms a frontier with the Arrernte ...

tribe around

Hermannsburg Hermannsburg is a village and a former municipality in the Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Südheide. It has been a state-recognised resort town since 1971. It is situated on the river ...

, Central Australia named a quadrangular arrangement comprising this star, δ Cen (Ma Wei), δ Cru (Imai) and γ Cru ( Gacrux) as ''Iritjinga'' ("The Eagle-hawk").

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gamma Centauri A-type subgiants Binary stars Centaurus (constellation) Centauri, Gamma BD-48 7597 110304 061932 4819 TIC objects