Centaurus (the centaur) was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy, and counts also among the 88 modern constellations. A constellation of the southern hemisphere, mentioned by Eudoxus (4th century B.C.) and Aratus (3rd century B.C.), Ptolemy catalogued thirty-seven stars in it. It contains Proxima Centauri, the red dwarf that is the nearest known star (other than the Sun) to Earth, as well as Alpha Centauri, which is a double star to which Proxima Centauri is apparently gravitationally bound. It also contains Omega Centauri[?], the brightest globular cluster in the sky.
One of the deep-sky objects in Centaurus is the Boomerang nebula, the coldest location (1 kelvin, -272°C) known to science.
According to Greek mythology, the constellation is Chiron who was a wise Centaur (half-man, half-horse) known as a tutor to Jason (the leader of the Argonauts), and tutor to Hercules (a demi-god).
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