Ara

Ara
Abbreviation	Ara
Genitive	Arae
Meaning in English	the Altar
Right ascension	17.39 h
Declination	-53.58°
Visible to latitude	Between 25° and -90°
On meridian	9 p.m., July 20
Area  - Total	Ranked 63rd 237 sq. deg.
Number of stars with apparent magnitude < 3	1
Brightest star  - Apparent magnitude	β Arae 2.9
Bordering constellations	Corona Australis Scorpius Norma Triangulum Australe Apus Pavo Telescopium

Ara (the Altar) is a faint southerly constellation between the constellations Centaurus and Lupus.

Notable features

Ara's brightest star, β Arae, has an apparent magnitude of 2,9. Its γ star is a double star just south of β.

Notable deep sky objects

The northwest corner of Ara is crossed by the Milky Way and contains several open clusters and diffuse nebulae. The brightest of the globular clusters, NGC 6397, is 8,200 light-years from our solar system and may be the closest such cluster.

History

This constellation was split off from Centaurus and Lupus by the interposition of Norma.

Mythology

The altar, usually depicted upside down, but sometimes upright with the smoke drifting into the Milky Way, was identified as that of the centaur Chiron; its original Latin name was Ara Centauri. It was also occasionally called the altar of Dionysus.