Rigel Kentaurus is the 3rd brightest star in the sky. Take a look at the list of the Brightest Stars
Centaurus contains Alpha and Beta Centauri, the third and tenth brightest stars in the sky. (Note: Some lists name Betelgeuse in Orion as the tenth brightest star, but Betelgeuse is a variable star making its ranking difficult). Alpha Centauri (proper name Rigel Kentaurius) is bright only because it is close and it is the closest star to the sun at 4.3 light years away. Alpha Centauri is a triple star system.
Back to Constellations Home Page