Star profile
Epsilon 2 Ara
What is Epsilon 2 Ara
Epsilon-2 Arae is a yellow-white F-type star a mere 89 light-years away, in the southern Altar that Mediterranean peoples pictured as the slab on which the gods sealed their oaths. It is a relatively close neighbour of the Sun, only slightly hotter and burning at a marginally quicker pace. When its light set out, humans were just beginning to probe the atmosphere with weather balloons; on arrival at our telescopes, it still serves as a precise reference for measuring the brightness of other stars in the solar neighbourhood.
Where it is and when to see it
Epsilon 2 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 71° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 37° N.
It ranks no. 15 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 89 years ago.
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Epsilon 2 Ara
- Constellation
- Ara
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.27
- Distance
- 88.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 255.786° · Dec -53.237°
- Catalogue
- HIP 83431 · HD 153580
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Ara
Ara has 43 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
See all 43 stars in Ara