Editing Beta Centauri (section)

==Visibility==
Beta Centauri is one of the [[list of brightest stars|brightest stars]] in the sky at [[apparent magnitude|magnitude]] 0.61. Its brightness varies by a few hundredths of a magnitude, too small to be noticeable to the naked eye.<ref name=lefevre2009/> Because of its spectral type and the detection of pulsations, the Aa component has been classified as a [[β Cephei variable]].<ref name=gcvs/>

Beta Centauri is well known in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] as the inner of the two "Pointers" to the constellation [[Crux]], popularly known as the Southern Cross. A line made from the other pointer, [[Alpha Centauri]], through Beta Centauri leads to within a few degrees of [[Gacrux]], the star at the north end of the cross. Using Gacrux, a navigator can draw a line with [[Acrux]] at the south end to effectively determine south.<ref name=kysela_lanterman1976/>