Gamma Centauri is a star

Star

A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...

 in the constellation

Constellation

In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Centaurus

Centaurus

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.-Stars:...

. It has the proper name Muhlifain, not to be confused with Muliphein, which is γ Canis Majoris; both names derive from the same Arabic root.

Gamma Centauri is a double star

Double star

In observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope. This can happen either because the pair forms a binary star, i.e...

 approximately 130 light years from Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

, which consists of two spectral type

Stellar classification

In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...

 A0 stars each of apparent magnitude

Apparent magnitude

The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...

 +2.9. For the resolution of the double star system a telescope of at least 15 centimeters in aperture is necessary. They have an orbital period

Orbital period

The orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...

 of 83 years.

Year	Angular separation	Position angle
1990	1.4″	353°
2000	1.0″	347°
2005	0.7″	341°
2010	0.4″	324°

Etymology

In Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

, , meaning Arsenal

Horn (Chinese constellation)

The Horn mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...

, refers to an asterism consisting of γ Centauri, ζ Centauri

Zeta Centauri

Zeta Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. It has the proper name Alnair, from the scientific-Arabic Nayyir Badan Qanṭūris , meaning "The Bright of the Body of the Centaur"....

, η Centauri, θ Centauri

Theta Centauri

Theta Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. It is also has the traditional Arabic name Menkent...

, 2 Centauri

2 Centauri

2 Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus.2 Centauri is a M-type red giant with a mean apparent magnitude of +4.19. It is approximately 177.4 light years from Earth. It is classified as a semiregular variable star and its brightness varies from magnitude +4.16 to +4.26 with a period of...

, HD 117440

HD 117440

HD 117440, also known by its Bayer designation d Centauri , is a binary star in the constellation Centaurus. It is approximately 1250 light years from Earth....

, ξ¹ Centauri, τ Centauri

Tau Centauri

Tau Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. It is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +3.85 and is approximately 131.7 light years from Earth....

, D Centauri

D Centauri

D Centauri is a double star in the constellation Centaurus. The system has a combined apparent magnitude of +5.31 and is approximately 566 light years from Earth....

 and σ Centauri

Sigma Centauri

Sigma Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. σ Centauri is a blue-white B-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +3.91. It is approximately 443 light years from Earth....

. Consequently, γ Centauri itself is known as

The people of Aranda

Aranda

-Places and events:*Aranda de Duero, a Spanish town located in Burgos province, the site of the Council of Aranda*Aranda , see Comarcas of Aragon*Aranda, Australian Capital Territory, a Canberra suburb named after the Arrernte people...

 and Luritja

Luritja

Luritja is a name used to refer to several dialects of the Indigenous Australian Western Desert Language, and thereby also to the people who speak these varieties, and their traditional lands.-Origin and meaning of Luritja:...

 tribe around Hermannsburg

Hermannsburg

Hermannsburg is a municipality in the Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the River Örtze, approx. 15 kilometers east of Bergen and 30 kilometers north of Celle.-Division of the municipality:...

, Central Australia

Central Australia

Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...

 named Iritjinga, "The Eagle-hawk", a quadrangular arrangement comprising this star, δ Cen (Ma Wei), δ Cru (Palida) and γ Cru

Gamma Crucis

Gamma Crucis , often called Gacrux, is a red giant star approximately 88 light-years away in the constellation of Crux. Among Portuguese-speaking peoples it is also named "Rubídea" , in reference to its color. The star is the third-brightest star in Crux and one of the brightest stars in the...

(Gacrux), .