{{Short description|Star in the constellation Centaurus}} {{For|m Centauri|HD 116243}} {{Starbox begin}} {{Starbox image | image = {{Location mark |image=Centaurus constellation map.svg|alt=|float=center|width=280 |label=|position=right |mark=Red circle.svg|mark_width=10|mark_link=M Centauri |x=460|y=645 }} | caption = Location of M Centauri (circled in red) }} {{Starbox observe | epoch = J2000.0 | constell = [[Centaurus]]<ref name=xhip/> | ra = {{RA|13|46|39.378}}<ref name="van Leeuwen2007"/> | dec = {{DEC|−51|25|57.95}}<ref name="van Leeuwen2007"/> | appmag_v = +4.63<ref name=tycho2/> }} {{Starbox character | class = G8/K0III<ref name=houk1978/> | b-v = +0.955<ref name=xhip/> <!--| u-b = +0.72{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}--> }} {{Starbox astrometry | radial_v = {{val|-15.97|2.25}}<ref name=dr3/> | prop_mo_ra = {{val|+10.00|(42)}}<ref name="van Leeuwen2007"/> | prop_mo_dec = {{val|-27.62|(34)}}<ref name="van Leeuwen2007"/> | parallax = 12.42 | p_error = 0.48 | parallax_footnote = <ref name="van Leeuwen2007"/> | absmag_v = +0.11<ref name=xhip/> }} {{Starbox orbit |reference=<ref>{{cite journal|title=Astrometric orbits of S<sub>B<sup>9</sup></sub> stars|author1=Jancart, S.|journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics|volume=442|issue=1|pages=365–380|date=2005|bibcode=2005A&A...442..365J|doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20053003|arxiv=astro-ph/0507695|s2cid=15123997}}</ref> |primary=M Centauri A |name=M Centauri B |period_unitless=437 days |axis_unitless=6.45 mas |inclination=48.2 |node=280.3 |periastron=2424163.0 |eccentricity=0.13 |periarg=58.6 }} {{Starbox catalog | names = {{odlist | B=M Cen | CCDM=J13467-5126A | CD=−50°8017 | GC=18607 | HD=119834 | HIP=67234 | HR=5172 | SAO=241157}}<ref name=SIMBAD/> }} {{Starbox reference | Simbad = HD+119834 }} {{Starbox end}} '''M Centauri''' (M Cen) is a [[binary star]] in the [[constellation]] [[Centaurus]]. It is approximately 260 [[light-year]]s from [[Earth]].
M Centauri is a yellow [[stellar classification|G-type]] [[giant star|giant]] with an [[apparent magnitude]] of +4.64. It is a [[spectroscopic binary]] with an [[orbital period]] of 437 days.
This star appears next to the globular cluster [[NGC 5286]] in the sky.<ref name=SIMBAD/>
== References == {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=SIMBAD>{{cite simbad |title=* M Cen}}</ref>
<ref name=dr3>{{cite Gaia DR3|6069335903658036480}}</ref>
<ref name=tycho2>{{cite journal |last1=Høg |first1=E. |last2=Fabricius |first2=C. |last3=Makarov |first3=V. V. |last4=Urban |first4=S. |last5=Corbin |first5=T. |last6=Wycoff |first6=G. |last7=Bastian |first7=U. |last8=Schwekendiek |first8=P. |last9=Wicenec |first9=A. |title=The Tycho-2 catalogue of the 2.5 million brightest stars |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |date=2000 |volume=355 |bibcode=2000A&A...355L..27H }}</ref>
<ref name=houk1978>{{cite journal |last1=Houk |first1=Nancy |title=Michigan catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD stars |journal=Ann Arbor: Dept. Of Astronomy |date=1978 |bibcode=1978mcts.book.....H }}</ref>
<ref name="van Leeuwen2007">{{cite journal | title=Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction | last1=van Leeuwen | first1=F. | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics | volume=474 | issue=2 | pages=653–664 | year=2007 | arxiv=0708.1752 | bibcode=2007A&A...474..653V | doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20078357 | s2cid=18759600 }} [http://webviz.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-5?-out.add=.&-source=I/311/hip2&recno=67006 Vizier catalog entry ]</ref>
<ref name=xhip>{{cite XHIP|67234}}</ref>
}}
{{Stars of Centaurus}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:M Centauri}} [[Category:Bayer objects|Centauri, M]] [[Category:Centaurus]] [[Category:Spectroscopic binaries]] [[Category:G-type giants]] [[Category:Bright Star Catalogue objects|5172]] [[Category:Henry Draper Catalogue objects|119834]] [[Category:Hipparcos objects|067234]] [[Category:Durchmusterung objects|CD-50 08017]]
{{Multi-star-stub}}