Rigil Kentaurus B
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| Rigel Kentaurus B | |
| Stellar characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Right ascension (Epoch J2000) | 14h 39m 35.0803s |
| Declination (Epoch J2000) | -60° 50' 13.761" |
| Spectral type | K1V |
| Distance from Sol | 4.365 ± 0.007 ly |
| Other designations | Alpha Centauri B, α Cen B, α² Centauri, GJ 559 B, HR 5460, HD 128621, LHS 51, HIP 71681 |
This much dimmer companion star is a main sequence, reddish-orange dwarf (K0-1 V). It appears to have only 93.4 ± 0.7 percent of Sol's mass (Guedes et al, 2008; and Thévenin et al, 2002), about 86.5 percent of its diameter, and 45 to 52 percent of its luminosity (ESO; and Johnson and Wright, 1983, page 681). Viewed from a planet at Earth's orbital distance around Alpha Centauri A, this companion B star would provide more light than the full Moon does on Earth as its brightest night sky object, but the additional light at a distance greater than Saturn's orbital distance in the Solar System would not be significant for the growth of Earth-type life.
(Boilerplate from SolStation.com)
Together with Alpha Centauri A and Proxima Centauri Alpha Centauri B forms a loose trinary system[1], and is one of the closest stars to Sol at a distance of about 4.40 light-years. Alpha Centauri A and B orbit a common point at an average distance of about 23.7 AUs.
Notes
- ↑ There is some debate about wether or not Proxima Centauri is actually part of a trinary system with the others, see SolStation.com for more details.
