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Beta Crucis
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Beta Crucis

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Also known as: Becrux, Mimosa
Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Also called:
Mimosa or Becrux
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Beta Crucis, second brightest star (after Alpha Crucis) in the southern constellation Crux (the Southern Cross) and the 20th brightest star in the sky. Beta Crucis is a binary of two B-type stars about 280 light-years from Earth. The primary is a pulsating variable star of the Beta Cephei type; its brightness changes by a few hundredths of a magnitude every four hours. The secondary is much fainter, and it orbits the primary every five years. A young pre-main-sequence star that is very faint in visible light but bright in X-rays orbits Beta Crucis with a period of about 1,000 years.

(List of Brightest Stars as Seen from Earth)

Erik Gregersen