The Centaurs are interplanetary objects having perihelia and semi-major axes between the orbits of Jupiter (5.2 AU) and Neptune (30 AU). Currently, 9 Centaurs are known, 3 of which exhibit cometary outgassing and 6 of which appear stellar. The dynamical lifetimes of Centaurs are very short compared to the age of the solar system, and these objects must be re-supplied from another location if the population is to remain in steady state. Most probably, Centaurs are escapees from the Kuiper Belt and precursors to the short-period comets. I will discuss our current knowledge of the physical properties and population of the Centaurs, and try to show how these objects might relate to the nuclei of short-period comets.