Constellations · Constellation · Arae · Ara
Constellation
Ara
The altar on which the gods swore allegiance before their war with the Titans. The Milky Way rises above it like smoke.
- Genitive
- Arae
- Area
- 237 square degrees · 63rd of 88
- Brightest star
- · magnitude 2.84
- Naked-eye stars
- 72 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- early June
Myth
After their victory Zeus set the altar in the sky. It is upside down from the north, its smoke pouring down the Milky Way towards the horizon.
Look for
The globular cluster NGC 6397 is one of the two closest to us — about 7,800 light-years.