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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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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


Etymology

Origin of Centaurus

From Latin; see origin at centaur

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Scott Summers and Jeremy Blitzer are co-founders and shareholders of Centaurus Therapeutics.

From Science Daily Nov. 14, 2025

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

A fire has broken out at the Centaurus Mall in the centre of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

From BBC Oct. 9, 2022

Success in the war against Centaurus will depend on Icarus, not on the SRB machines.

From The Variable Man by Dick, Philip K.

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

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 9, 2026

The signs were found in the star system Alpha Centauri by the powerful James Webb Space Telescope.

From BBC Aug. 8, 2025

The closest Earth-like exoplanet to us -- and possibly the most famous -- is Proxima Centauri b, which is only 4 light-years away.

From Science Daily May 23, 2024

By the way, that’s not me saying that I think the final answer is aliens visiting from Alpha Centauri.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 16, 2023

The complex interactions of the three stars in the Alpha Centauri system would make the search for a low-mass companion there very difficult.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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