Ara (constellation)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ara
click for larger image
Abbreviation	Ara
Genitive	Arae
Symbology	the Altar
Right ascension	17.39 h
Declination	−53.58°
Area	237 sq. deg. Ranked 63rd
Number of stars (Bayer-Flamsteed)	17
Number of bright stars (magnitude < 3)	2
Number of nearby stars (Distance < 100 ly)	4
Brightest star	β Ara (App. magnitude 2.9)
Nearest Star	41 Ara (Distance: 28.7 ly)
Meteor showers	None
Bordering constellations	Corona Australis Scorpius Norma Triangulum Australe Apus Pavo Telescopium
Visible at latitudes between +25° and −90° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of July

Ara (IPA: /ˈɑːrə/, Latin: altar) is a southern constellation situated between the constellations Scorpius and Triangulum Australe.

1 Notable features
2 Notable deep sky objects
3 History
4 Mythology
5 Notable and named stars
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] 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. μ Arae is believed to have at least four planets orbiting it, one of which is thought to be rocky in nature.

[edit] 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 cluster of that kind.

[edit] History

This constellation was one of Ptolemy's original 48 constellations.

[edit] 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. Since, however, the constellation was identified, and introduced, in the 18th Century, connection to this mythology is likely to have been by design of the constellation's creator, and unconnected to the actual beliefs of the ancient Greeks about this area of sky.

[edit] Notable and named stars

BD	Names and other designations	Mag.	Ly away	Comments
β	Beta Arae, Karnot Mizbeach, Karnothamizbeach	2.85	603	< קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ karnot hamizbeach Horns of the Altar
α	Alpha Arae, Choo, Tchou	2.95	242	< 杵 (Mandarin chǔ) The Pestle Be star
ζ	Zeta Arae, Tseen Yin, Korban	3.12	574	< 天陰 (Mandarin tiānyīn) The Dark Sky [actually in Aries?] < קרבן korban sacrifice
γ	Gamma Arae, Zadok, Tzadok	3.34	1140	< צָדוֹק tzadok "the Righteous One" (Zadok and his descendents served as High Priests in Judea from the time of Solomon to the time of the Maccabees.)
δ	Delta Arae, Tseen Yin	3.62	187	< 天陰 (Mandarin tiānyīn) The Dark Sky [actually in Aries?]
θ	Theta Arae, Tao Shou	3.65	1010	< 道壽 tao shou "The Way To Longevity" or "The Path To a Long Life"
η	Eta Arae	3.77	313
ε¹	Epsilon1 Arae, Tso Kang	4.06	304	< 左更 (Mandarin zuŏgēng) The Left Watch [actually in Aries?]
σ	Sigma Arae	4.56	386
λ	Lambda Arae	4.76	71.3
μ	Mu Arae	5.14	49.8	has four planets
κ	Kappa Arae	5.19	398
ι	Iota Arae	5.21	720	Gamma Cassiopeiae type variable star
π	Pi Arae	5.25	138
ε²	Epsilon2 Arae	5.27	85.9
	41 Arae	5.55	28.7	double: period 693 to 2,200y
ν¹, υ¹	Nu-1 Arae, Upsilon-1 Arae, V539 Arae	5.68	820	eclipsing binary
ν², υ²	Nu-2 Arae, Upsilon-2 Arae	6.09	508