Centaurus

American  

[sen-tawr-uhs] / sɛnˈtɔr əs /

noun

• Centauri
  genitive

1. Astronomy. the Centaur, a southern constellation between Lupus and Vela, containing the triple-star system Alpha Centauri.

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Centaurus British  

/ sɛnˈtɔːrəs /

noun

1. Also called: The Centaur. a conspicuous extensive constellation in the S hemisphere, close to the Southern Cross, that contains two first magnitude stars, Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri, and the globular cluster Omega Centauri

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Centaurus Scientific  

/ sĕn-tôr′əs /

1. A constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near the Southern Cross and Libra. Centaurus (the Centaur) contains Alpha Centauri, the star nearest Earth.

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Etymology

Origin of Centaurus

From Latin; see origin at centaur

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Centaurus Centauri

NGC 4945 is an active galaxy about 13 million light-years away in the southern constellation Centaurus.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 12, 2024

Using a telescope in Chile, the Spanish-led team spotted a cloud of debris in the same orbit as an already confirmed planet circling this star, 370 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2023

It took place at a location more than 8000 light-years away from our Earth in the direction of Alpha Centauri, between the constellations of Circinus and Centaurus.

From Space Scoop ● Mar. 21, 2023

The company that Summers co-founded in 2016, Centaurus Therapeutics, has crafted a molecule that inhibits DES1, the enzyme that catalyzes the final step in ceramide synthesis.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 15, 2023

Musca, the Bee, is a small constellation south of the Southern Cross and Centaurus.

From Astronomical Curiosities Facts and Fallacies by J. Ellard Gore

Among these are well-known exoplanets such as Proxima Centauri b, TRAPPIST-1f, and Kepler 186f, along with lesser-known candidates like TOI-715 b.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 25, 2026

Imagine, he says, wanting to send a single paperclip to our neighboring star, Proxima Centauri.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Alpha Centauri encompasses the closest star system to Earth and is more than four light-years away.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2024

The group became stranded on a distant planet after their ship, the Jupiter 2, went off course en route to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2023

A trip to Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light-years away, would then take forty-three years, less than a human lifetime.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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