Rigil Kentaurus
Scientific overview
Rigil Kentaurus is a yellow dwarf in the constellation Centaurus (Centauri), lying about 4.32 light-years from Earth.
Class G. Yellow stars like the Sun. On the main sequence they steadily fuse hydrogen into helium. Such stars have surface temperatures around 5,200–6,000 K and appear yellow to the eye.
Physical properties
| Spectral type | G2V |
| Luminosity class | V |
| Apparent magnitude | -0.01 |
| Absolute magnitude | 4.38 |
| Luminosity (Sun = 1) | 1.543 |
| Colour index (B−V) | 0.71 |
| Distance | 4.32 ly (1.32 pc) |
Values are real catalogue data; fields without a reliable value are omitted, never estimated.
Precision measurements
Astrometry and astrophysics from SIMBAD
| Parallax | 742.1 ± 1.4 mas | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (RA) | -3679.3 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (Dec) | 473.7 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Radial velocity | -15.252 ± 0.167 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Spectral type | G2V | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 219.9 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | -60.834 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Parallax: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · plx_value · 1997A&A...323L..49P · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (RA): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmra · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (Dec): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmdec · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2021MNRAS.506..150B · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 2006A&A...460..695T · catalogue identifier/value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
measured = direct catalogue value · estimated = Bayesian inference (Bailer-Jones distance) · modeled = model output (Gaia GSP-Phot). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Evolution
A yellow dwarf is a G-type main-sequence star like the Sun. After about ten billion years it will swell into a red giant and finally leave behind a white dwarf.
Location in the sky
Knowledge connections
- In constellationCentaurus
- System includesToliman
Related stars in Centaurus
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- HYG DatabaseHYG Database (Hipparcos + Yale Bright Star + Gliese), by D. Nash / astronexus
Aggregated, openly-licensed star catalogue combining Hipparcos, the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, and the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.
- HipparcosESA Hipparcos space astrometry mission
High-precision parallax, magnitude, and position for ~118,000 stars.