Acrux vs Hadar

Spectroscopy puts them in the same box — B-type for Acrux 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 Acrux.

Property comparison

Property Acrux Hadar
命名 Alp1Cru Bet Cen
星座 Crux Centaurus
光谱类型 Class B — B-type (Blue-White) Class B — B-type (Blue-White)
视星等 +0.77 +0.61
绝对星等 -4.20 -4.79
距离 322 ly 392 ly
质量 N/A N/A
半径 N/A N/A
温度 N/A N/A
光度 N/A N/A

Full data for each star: Acrux · 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☉.
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