Theta 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 is also has the traditional Arabic name Menkent (possibly abbreviation of ألمنكب ألقنتوس - al mankib al-qanturis, meaning "shoulder of the Centaur"). It is an orange K-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...

 giant

Giant star

A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main sequence star of the same surface temperature. Typically, giant stars have radii between 10 and 100 solar radii and luminosities between 10 and 1,000 times that of the Sun. Stars still more luminous than giants are...

 with an 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...

 of +2.06 and is approximately 60.94 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...

.

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 θ 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, 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, γ Centauri

Gamma Centauri

Gamma Centauri is a star in the constellation Centaurus. 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....

, 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, θ Centauri itself is known as