Star profile

Zeta Ara

Highly luminous star

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Zeta Ara

Zeta Arae is a mature orange giant, as luminous as hundreds of suns folded into a warm, unhurried glow. Seen from southern latitudes, it anchors one arm of the Altar between the Coalsack and the dust of the deep Milky Way. Its K-type spectrum betrays a star that has already burned through its core hydrogen and is preparing for the final acts before shedding its outer layers.

Where it is and when to see it

Zeta Ara lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is June, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it never rises above the horizon.
From New York it never rises above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 68° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 34° N.

It ranks no. 3 in brightness among the 43 stars of Ara in our catalogue. To find it, start from Beta Ara, the brightest: it lies about 4° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 490 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Zeta Ara

Constellation: Ara
Apparent magnitude: 3.12
Distance: 486.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 254.655° · Dec -55.990°
Catalogue: HIP 83081 · HD 152786

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Other stars in Ara

Ara has 43 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 43 stars in Ara