The primary of f Centauri is a blue-white hued B-type main-sequence star with a stellar classification of B4V.[3] It is a young star with an age estimated at around 92 million years,[6] and is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 140 km/s.[7] A close companion with a K magnitude of 9.16, designated component C, was detected in 2002 at an angular separation of 1.55″.[10] In 2013, a spectroscopic companion to the primary was observed using long baseline interferometry, with the two being designated components Aa and Ab.[11]
A faint, magnitude 10.8 companion, component B, was first reported by J. F. W. Herschel in 1836. As of 2015, it was located at a separation of 11.6″ along a position angle of 78°.[12] This is a K-type star with a class of K0Ve, showing emission in the Calcium H and K lines. It is a known BY Draconis variable star with the designation V1155 Centauri.[13] It shares a common space motion with the primary, indicating a probable physical relationship, and its Gaia Data Release 3 parallax of 7.965″±0.018″ suggests a distance of 409 light years.[14] The star shows a strong overabundance in lithium, which demonstrates its young age.[4] It is about 0.8 magnitudes above zero age main sequence and thus is still contracting as a post-T Tauri star.[15]X-ray emission has been detected from this star.[8]
^ abHouk, Nancy (1978). Michigan catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD stars. Vol. 2. Ann Arbor: Dept. of Astronomy, University of Michigan. Bibcode:1978mcts.book.....H.
^ abBrown, A. G. A.; Verschueren, W. (March 1997). "High S/N Echelle spectroscopy in young stellar groups. II. Rotational velocities of early-type stars in SCO OB2". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 319: 811–838. arXiv:astro-ph/9608089. Bibcode:1997A&A...319..811B.
^Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1: B/gcvs. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.