V Centauri
V Centauri (V Cen) is a Classical Cepheid variable, a type of variable star, in the constellation Centaurus. It is approximately 2,350 light-years (720 parsecs) away based on parallax.
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Right ascension | 14h 32m 33.0833s |
| Declination | −56° 53′ 15.774″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.42 - 7.22 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | F5 Ib/II |
| B−V color index | 0.87 |
| Variable type | Classical Cepheid |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −18.90 ± 1.4 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −6.697 mas/yr Dec.: −7.068 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 1.3898 ± 0.0221 mas |
| Distance | 2,350 ± 40 ly (720 ± 10 pc) |
| Details | |
| Mass | 4.3 M☉ |
| Radius | 40 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 1,657 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 1.89 cgs |
| Temperature | 5,500 K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | +0.12 dex |
| Age | 103 Myr |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
V Centauri varies regularly between visual magnitudes 4.2 and 7.2 every 5.5 days. It is classified as a Cepheid variable on the basis of its light variations, with the brightness increase from minimum to maximum taking only a third of the time of the decrease from maximum to minimum. Cepheids are pulsating variable stars and V Centauri expands and contracts over its pulsation cycle as well as changing temperature.
According to the South African Astronomical Observatory, the chemical composition was derived as being high in sodium (Na) and aluminium (Al) and low in magnesium (Mg). Following a normal composition for a Cepheid star, V Cen does not have any unusual characteristics. V Centauri's composition was observed alongside six other Classical Cepheid variable stars with the support of Russian, Chilean, and Ukrainian observatories.