Lambda Centauri

Lambda Centauri is a B-type giant star with a stellar classification of B9 III (although it has also been classified as A1 III). It has about 5.5 times the radius of the Sun and is rotating rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 183 km/s. The latter is giving the star an oblate shape with an equatorial bulge that is 17% larger than the polar radius. The star's outer atmosphere has an effective temperature of 9,880 K, giving it a blue-white hue.

Based upon the position and movement of this star through space, it is a likely member of the Gould Belt. In particular, it belongs to the Lower Centaurus–Crux (LCC) group of the Scorpius–Centaurus association, which is the nearest OB association to the Sun. This is a loose grouping of stars that share a common motion through space and therefore formed in the same molecular cloud. The LCC group has an estimated age of 16–20 million years and is centered on a mean distance of 380 light-years (120 parsecs) from Earth.