Theta Centauri
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Theta Centauri or θ Centauri, officially named Menkent (Template:IPAc-en),<ref name=Kunitzsch/><ref name="IAU-LSN"/> is a single<ref name=Furhmann>Template:Cite journal</ref> star in the southern constellation of Centaurus, the centaur. With an apparent visual magnitude of +2.06,<ref name=clpl4_99/> it is the fourth-brightest member of the constellation. Based on parallax measurements obtained during the Hipparcos mission, it is about Template:Convert distant.<ref name=aaa474_2_653/> It has a relatively high proper motion, traversing the celestial sphere at the rate of Template:Val.<ref name=Bakos_et_al_2002/> This suggests that Menkent may have originated in the outer disk of the Milky Way and is merely passing through the solar neighborhood.<ref name="kaler" />
NomenclatureEdit
θ Centauri, Latinised to Theta Centauri, is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name of Menkent derived from the Arabic word مَنْكِب (mankib) for "shoulder" (of the Centaur), apparently blended with a shortened form of "kentaurus" (centaur). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)<ref name="WGSN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name Menkent for this star on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.<ref name="IAU-LSN"/>
In Chinese, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), meaning arsenal, refers to an asterism consisting of Theta Centauri, Zeta Centauri, Eta Centauri, 2 Centauri, HD 117440, Xi¹ Centauri, Gamma Centauri, Tau Centauri, D Centauri and Sigma Centauri.<ref>Template:In lang 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, Template:ISBN.</ref> Consequently, the Chinese name for Theta Centauri itself is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Langx).<ref>Template:In lang 香港太空館 - 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表 Template:Webarchive, Hong Kong Space Museum. Accessed on line November 23, 2010.</ref>
PropertiesEdit
This is an evolved giant star with a stellar classification of K0 III<ref name=aj132_1_161/> and 1.27 times the mass of the Sun. It is believed to be fusing helium into carbon and heavier elements within its core, qualifying it as a red clump star.<ref name=Fuhrmann2012/> It is a southern analog to Pollux, the brightest star in Gemini and the closest giant to the Sun.<ref name="kaler" /> It is over ten times larger than the Sun and 60 times more luminous.<ref name=Fuhrmann2012/> The outer envelope has an effective temperature of 4,853 K,<ref name=ottoni/> giving it the orange-hued glow of a cool, K-type star.<ref name=csiro/> Soft X-ray emission has been detected from this star, which has an estimated X-ray luminosity of Template:Nowrap.<ref name=aaa335_591/>