Menkent: how to find it and when to see it
Menkent ranks 52nd of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.06, in the constellation Centaurus.
You can see it from anywhere south of 54° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in June.
Menkent at a glance
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Magnitude
- 2.06
- Rank on our list
- 52 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 14 h 7 min
- Declination
- 36.4° south
- Visible from
- south of 54° N
- Never sets
- south of 54° S
- Best evening
- 8 June
- Name from
- Arabic
- Same constellation
- Rigil Kentaurus, Hadar
Where Menkent is in the sky
Menkent sits 36.4° 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 7 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 Menkent
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Menkent rises in the south-east, climbs to 14° above the horizon in the south and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from May to June, and it's highest in the evening around 8 June, in summer.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Menkent rises in the south-east, climbs to 88° above the horizon in the south and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from March to September, and it's highest in the evening around 8 June, in winter.
How high Menkent 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 | Rises and sets | 4° in the south | None |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 14° in the south | May to Jun |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 24° in the south | May to Jul |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 34° in the south | Apr to Jul |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 54° in the south | Apr to Aug |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 74° in the south | Mar to Aug |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 88° in the south | Mar to Sept |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 81° in the north | Feb to Sept |
What the name Menkent means
Menkent comes from the Arabic mankib, shoulder. It marks the shoulder of the centaur.
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 Menkent was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Menkent
Menkent is in Centaurus. It sits 36.4° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 14 h 7 min.
Menkent is highest in the evening sky around 8 June. That's summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 54° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 14° above the horizon in the south.
Menkent has a magnitude of 2.06, which ranks it 52nd of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 25 times brighter.
Menkent comes from the Arabic mankib, shoulder. It marks the shoulder of the centaur.