4 Centauri
Star in the constellation Centaurus
This article is about h Centauri; not to be confused with
H Centauri .
4 Centauri
Location of 4 Centauri (circled in red)
Observation dataEpoch J2000.0 Equinox ICRS
Constellation
Centaurus
A
Right ascension
13h 53m 12.53829s
Declination
−31° 55′ 39.4304″
Apparent magnitude (V)
+4.72
B
Right ascension
13h 53m 12.43506s
Declination
−31° 55′ 54.1506″
Apparent magnitude (V)
+8.47)
Characteristics
A
Evolutionary stage
main sequence
Spectral type
B6IV
U−B color index
−0.56
B−V color index
−0.14
B
Evolutionary stage
main sequence
Spectral type
Am
U−B color index
+0.10
B−V color index
+0.30
Astrometry A Radial velocity (Rv ) +5.2± 2 km/s Proper motion (μ) RA: −10.428 mas /yr Dec.: −10.710 mas /yr Parallax (π)4.8225± 0.1539 mas Distance 680 ± 20 ly (207 ± 7 pc ) Absolute magnitude (MV )−1.66 B Radial velocity (Rv ) +9± 10 km/s Proper motion (μ) RA: −10.905 mas /yr Dec.: −10.625 mas /yr Parallax (π)4.1269± 0.1312 mas Distance 790 ± 30 ly (242 ± 8 pc )
Orbit Primary 4 Cen Aa Secondary 4 Cen Ab Period (P) 6.930137 ± 0.000015 dEccentricity (e) 0.25± 0.10Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary) 152± 17° Semi-amplitude (K1 ) (primary) 21.0± 1.5 km/s
Orbit Primary 4 Cen Ba Secondary 4 Cen Bb Period (P) 4.8390± 0.0001 dEccentricity (e) 0.05± 0.02Periastron epoch (T) 2442916.55± 0.09Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary) 51± 20° Semi-amplitude (K1 ) (primary) 16.9± 3.5 km/s
Details Aa Mass 7.7 M ☉ Radius 6.2 R ☉ Luminosity 687 L ☉ Surface gravity (log g )3.43 cgs Temperature 14,322 K Metallicity [Fe/H] −1.06 dex Rotation 27.2 days Age 51 Myr Ab Mass 0.75 M ☉
Details Ba Mass 1.9 M ☉ Radius 2.48 R ☉ Luminosity 17.0 L ☉ Surface gravity (log g )3.88 cgs Temperature 7,440 K Bb Mass 0.22 M ☉
Other designations h Cen , 4 Cen , HD 120955 , HR 5221 , CCDM J13532-3156A : CD −31°10729 , GC 18755 , HIP 67786 , SAO 204944B : CD −31°10727 , GC 18754 , SAO 204943
Database references SIMBAD data 4 Cen B
4 Centauri is a multiple star in the constellation Centaurus , approximately 640 light years from Earth . It has a combined apparent magnitude of +4.71. The primary is a blue-white B-type subgiant with a spectroscopic companion, while the secondary is an Am star also with a spectroscopic companion.
4 Centauri is a hierarchical quadruple star system . The primary component of the system, 4 Centauri A, is a spectroscopic binary , meaning that its components cannot be resolved but periodic Doppler shifts in its spectrum show that it must be orbiting. 4 Centauri A has an orbital period of 6.927 days and an eccentricity of 0.23. Because light from only one of the stars can be detected (i.e. it is a single-lined spectroscopic binary), some parameters such as its inclination are unknown. The secondary component, is also a single-lined spectroscopic binary. It has an orbital period of 4.839 days and an eccentricity of 0.05. The secondary component is a metallic-lined A-type star . The two pairs themselves are separated by 14 arcseconds; one orbit would take at least 55,000 years.
References
1 2 Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012). "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation". Astronomy Letters . 38 (5): 331. arXiv :1108.4971 . Bibcode :2012AstL...38..331A . doi :10.1134/S1063773712050015 .
XHIP record for this object at VizieR .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties" . Astronomy and Astrophysics . 674 : A1. arXiv :2208.00211 . Bibcode :2023A& A...674A...1G . doi :10.1051/0004-6361/202243940 . S2CID 244398875 .
Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR .
↑ Mason, Brian D.; Wycoff, Gary L.; Hartkopf, William I.; Douglass, Geoffrey G.; Worley, Charles E. (2001). "The 2001 US Naval Observatory Double Star CD-ROM. I. The Washington Double Star Catalog" . The Astronomical Journal . 122 (6): 3466. Bibcode :2001AJ....122.3466M . doi :10.1086/323920 .
1 2 3 4 5 6 Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties" . Astronomy and Astrophysics . 674 : A1. arXiv :2208.00211 . Bibcode :2023A& A...674A...1G . doi :10.1051/0004-6361/202243940 . S2CID 244398875 .
Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR .
↑ Nicolet, B. (1978). "Catalogue of homogeneous data in the UBV photoelectric photometric system". Astronomy and Astrophysics . 34 : 1. Bibcode :1978A& AS...34....1N .
1 2 3 4 5 Levato, H.; Malaroda, S.; Morrell, N.; Solivella, G. (1987). "Stellar multiplicity in the Scorpius-Centaurus association". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series . 64 : 487– 503. Bibcode :1987ApJS...64..487L . doi :10.1086/191204 .
1 2 Mallama, A. (2014). "Sloan Magnitudes for the Brightest Stars". Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (Jaavso) . 42 (2): 443. Bibcode :2014JAVSO..42..443M .
1 2 Renson, P.; Manfroid, J. (2009). "Catalogue of Ap, HGMN and Am stars" . Astronomy and Astrophysics . 498 (3): 961. Bibcode :2009A& A...498..961R . doi :10.1051/0004-6361/200810788 .
1 2 Evans, D. S. (1967). "The Revision of the General Catalogue of Radial Velocities". Determination of Radial Velocities and Their Applications . 30 : 57. Bibcode :1967IAUS...30...57E .
1 2 3 4 Tokovinin, Andrei (2018). "The Updated Multiple Star Catalog" . The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series . 235 (1): 6. arXiv :1712.04750 . Bibcode :2018ApJS..235....6T . doi :10.3847/1538-4365/aaa1a5 .
1 2 Quintana, Alexis L.; Wright, Nicholas J.; Martínez García, Juan (2025). "A census of OB stars within 1 KPC and the star formation and core collapse supernova rates of the Milky Way" . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 538 (3): 1367. arXiv :2503.08286 . Bibcode :2025MNRAS.538.1367Q . doi :10.1093/mnras/staf083 .
↑ Oelkers, Ryan J.; Rodriguez, Joseph E.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Pepper, Joshua; Somers, Garrett; Kafka, Stella; Stevens, Daniel J.; Beatty, Thomas G.; Siverd, Robert J.; Lund, Michael B.; Kuhn, Rudolf B.; James, David; Gaudi, B. Scott (2018). "Variability Properties of Four Million Sources in the TESS Input Catalog Observed with the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope Survey" . The Astronomical Journal . 155 (1): 39. arXiv :1711.03608 . Bibcode :2018AJ....155...39O . doi :10.3847/1538-3881/aa9bf4 .
↑ Tetzlaff, N.; Neuhäuser, R.; Hohle, M. M. (2011). "A catalogue of young runaway Hipparcos stars within 3 KPC from the Sun" . Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 410 (1): 190. arXiv :1007.4883 . Bibcode :2011MNRAS.410..190T . doi :10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17434.x .
1 2 3 4 Stassun, Keivan G.; et al. (2019). "The Revised TESS Input Catalog and Candidate Target List" . The Astronomical Journal . 158 (4): 138. arXiv :1905.10694 . Bibcode :2019AJ....158..138S . doi :10.3847/1538-3881/ab3467 .
↑ "* 4 Cen" . SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 8 February 2018 .
↑ "* 4 Cen A" . SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 8 February 2018 .
↑ "* 4 Cen B" . SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 8 February 2018 .
↑ Paunzen, E. (2022). "Catalogue of stars measured in the Geneva seven-colour photometric system" . Astronomy and Astrophysics . 661 : A89. arXiv :2111.04810 . Bibcode :2022A& A...661A..89P . doi :10.1051/0004-6361/202142355 .
↑ Paddock, G. F. (1917). "The Spectroscopic Binary H 4 Centauri" . Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific . 29 (167): 56. Bibcode :1917PASP...29...56P . doi :10.1086/122588 . S2CID 120812946 .