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