Hadar

Beta Centauri — known also as Hadar — is the second-brightest star of the constellation Centaurus, trailing only its neighbour Alpha. This blue-white B-type star carries a strongly negative B–V index of −0.231, the mark of a hot surface, and reaches apparent magnitude 0.61 from a distance of roughly 392 light-years. Its absolute magnitude of −4.79 signals an intrinsic output far greater than the Sun's, sustaining its brilliance across that considerable gulf. At a declination of −60° Hadar belongs firmly to the southern sky, where it stands beside Rigil Kentaurus as a pointer toward the Southern Cross.