The Centaurus constellation has a large, four-sided shape representing the human head and torso, attached to two legs. Rigel Kentaurus, the triple star system that contains Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our Sun.
Centaurus is one of two constellations said to represent the Centaurs, mythical creatures with a human head and torso on top of a horse's body.
Centaurus was the name of the first Centaur. Centaurus is also associated with Chiron the Sagittarius. One legend says that Chiron was the first to identify the constellations and taught them to humans. As a demonstration, he placed an image of himself in the sky.