page_title: Centaurus
section_title: Notable features
hierarchical_section_title: Centaurus / Notable features
caption_attribution_description: English: Johannes Hevelius, Prodromus Astronomia, volume III: Firmamentum Sobiescianum, sive Uranographia, table XX: Centaurus and Crux, 1690. Italiano: Tavola XX del terzo volume "Firmamentum Sobiescianum, sive uranographia" dell'opera "Prodromus Astronomia" di Johannes Hevelius, pubblicato nel 1690 a Danzica. La tavola riproduce la costellazione "Centaurus et Crux" dell'Emisfero Australe. Русский: Лист XX — Центавр и Южный Крест — Атласа звёздного неба Яна Гевелия, представляющего собой приложение к его книге «Prodromus Astronomiæ», опубликованной в 1690 году в Гданьске. Изображение — зеркальное, обычное для небесных глобусов, показывающее вид небесной сферы «извне».
context_page_description: Centaurus is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. In Greek mythology, Centaurus represents a centaur; a creature that is half human, half horse. Notable stars include Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Solar System, its neighbour in the sky Beta Centauri, and V766 Centauri, one of the largest stars yet discovered. The constellation also contains Omega Centauri, the brightest globular cluster as visible from Earth and the largest identified in the Milky Way, possibly a remnant of a dwarf galaxy.
caption: Centaurus in the Firmamentum Sobiescianum of Johannes Hevelius. N.B. This image is reversed from what one sees looking at the sky — it is as though one is looking at the "celestial sphere" from the outside.
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