The Constellation Centaurus, the Centaur
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Centaurus - The Centaur
Below the stars of
Hydra, the sea serpent and
Scorpius,
the scorpion, you can find Centaurus. Centaurus is a half-man,
half-horse creature. He faces east holding a lance which he is using
to defend himself from Lupus, the wolf.
Centaurus' brightest star is called Toliman or Rigel Kentaurus.
Toliman is the third brightest star in the sky and is the closest star
to the Sun. The largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky is
in Centaurus. The cluster's name is Omega Centauri. To your eye, it
will look like a fuzzy ball, but it is really made up of more than a
million stars.
According to a Greek myth, it was Centaurus who first grouped the
stars into constellations. He also taught humans how to read the sky.
Centaurus placed a picture of himself in the sky to guide a group of
sailors called the Argonauts.
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