Rigil Kentaurus: how to find it and when to see it
Rigil Kentaurus ranks 3rd of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude -0.27, in the constellation Centaurus.
You can see it from anywhere south of 29° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in June.
Rigil Kentaurus at a glance
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Magnitude
- -0.27
- Rank on our list
- 3 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 14 h 40 min
- Declination
- 60.8° south
- Visible from
- south of 29° N
- Never sets
- south of 29° S
- Best evening
- 16 June
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Rigil Kentaurus is in the sky
Rigil Kentaurus sits 60.8° south of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the southern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 14 h 40 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Rigil Kentaurus
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Rigil Kentaurus never rises above the horizon. You need to be south of 29° N to see it.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Rigil Kentaurus never sets: it circles the pole all night and climbs to 63° above the horizon in the south.
It's in the evening sky from February to October, and it's highest in the evening around 16 June, in winter.
How high Rigil Kentaurus climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 50° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 40° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 30° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 9° in the south | None |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 29° in the south | Apr to Aug |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 49° in the south | Mar to Sep |
| 34° S | Never sets | 63° in the south | Feb to Oct |
| 45° S | Never sets | 74° in the south | All year |
What the name Rigil Kentaurus means
Rigil Kentaurus comes from the Arabic rijl al-qanṭūris, the foot of the centaur. It marks one of the centaur's feet.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Rigil Kentaurus was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Rigil Kentaurus
Rigil Kentaurus is in Centaurus. It sits 60.8° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 14 h 40 min.
Rigil Kentaurus is highest in the evening sky around 16 June. That's summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 29° N. From 40° N, it never rises, so you need to be further south.
Rigil Kentaurus has a magnitude of -0.27, which ranks it 3rd of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 2.9 times brighter.
Rigil Kentaurus comes from the Arabic rijl al-qanṭūris, the foot of the centaur. It marks one of the centaur's feet.