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m Centauri

Yellow bright giant in Centaurus

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Proper Name	None
Bayer Designation	m Centauri
Flamsteed Number	None
HR (BSC)	5041
HD	116243
Constellation	Centaurus
Right Ascension	13h 24m 0s
Declination	-64° 32' 8"
Distance	253 light years 78 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +4.53 Absolute: +0.02
Spectral Class	G5IIb yellow bright giant
Optimum Visibility	April / May (Usually visible from southern latitudes)

m Centauri shines against the background of a dense region of the Milky Way. The backdrop to this image is formed from an immense nebulous star cloud, Cederblad 122, which lies thousands of light years beyond the star. m Centauri's fainter neighbouring star to the east is the giant HR 5048. Of the two stars, HR 5048 is actually closer to the Sun, but appears fainter because it is rather less luminous than the bright giant m Centauri. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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