Ácrux vs Hadar
Spectroscopy puts them in the same box — B-type for Ácrux as for Hadar — so the differences lie elsewhere. Set side by side at equal distance the ranking changes — absolute magnitudes of −4.79 and −4.20 leave Hadar roughly 1.7 times the more luminous. Hadar is the remoter of the pair at 392 light-years, roughly 1.2 times the 322 that separates us from Ácrux.
Property comparison
| Property | Ácrux | Hadar |
|---|---|---|
| Designación | Alp1Cru | Bet Cen |
| Constelación | Crux | Centaurus |
| Clase Espectral | Class B — B-type (Blue-White) | Class B — B-type (Blue-White) |
| Magnitud Aparente | +0.77 | +0.61 |
| Magnitud Absoluta | -4.20 | -4.79 |
| Distancia | 322 ly | 392 ly |
| Masa | N/A | N/A |
| Radio | N/A | N/A |
| Temperatura | N/A | N/A |
| Luminosidad | N/A | N/A |
Full data for each star: Ácrux · Hadar
Key differences
Key Differences
- ◆ Both are bright B-type stars in Centaurus/Crux, forming the southern pointer stars to the Southern Cross.
- ◆ Hadar (Beta Centauri) is a triple star system; Acrux is also a multiple star system.
- ◆ Hadar is about 525 light-years away; Acrux is slightly farther at ~321 light-years.
- ◆ Together with Alpha Centauri, Hadar points toward the Southern Cross where Acrux marks the top.
- ◆ Both have very high intrinsic luminosities — Hadar at ~41,700 L☉ and Acrux at ~25,000 L☉.