Ara

Ara is a southern constellation situated between Scorpius and Triangulum Australe. Its name is Latin for "altar". Ara was one of the 48 Greek constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. Ara contains part of the Milky Way to the south of Scorpius and thus has rich star fields. Stars: (1) α Ara is a blue-white hued star of magnitude 2.8, 242 light-years from Earth. (2) β Ara is an orange-hued supergiant of magnitude 2.8, 600 light-years from Earth. (3) γ Ara is a blue-hued supergiant of magnitude 3.3, 1140 light-years from Earth. (4) δ Ara is a blue-white hued star of magnitude 3.6, 187 light-years from Earth. (5) ζ Ara is an orange-hued giant of magnitude 3.1, 574 light-years from Earth. The constellation's stars have no names in Western culture, but the Chinese call α Arae "Choo" ("club" or "staff"), and ε Arae "Tso Kang", meaning 'left guard'. The northwest corner of Ara is crossed by the Milky Way and contains several open clusters (notably NGC 6200) and diffuse nebulae (including the bright cluster/nebula pair NGC 6188 and NGC 6193). The brightest of the globular clusters, sixth magnitude NGC 6397, lies at a distance of just 6,500 light-years (6.1×1016 km), making it one of the closest globular cluster to the solar system. Although Ara lies close to the heart of the Milky Way, two spiral galaxies (NGC 6215 and NGC 6221) are visible near star η Arae. The Stingray Nebula (Hen 3-1357), the youngest known planetary nebula as of 2010, formed in Ara; the light from its formation was first observable around 1987. Last, but not least; there is also NGC 6326. A planetary nebula that might have a binary system at its center. In ancient Greek mythology, Ara was identified as the altar where the gods first made offerings and formed an alliance before defeating the Titans. The nearby Milky Way represents the smoke rising from the offerings on the altar. In Chinese astronomy, the stars of the constellation Ara lie within The Azure Dragon of the East. [Ara (constellation). Wikipedia]