Star profile
Alpha Ara
Variable starWhat is Alpha Ara
α Arae is a hot, rapidly rotating blue star, famous for being surrounded by an equatorial gaseous disc thrown off by centrifugal force. That hydrogen envelope makes it a classical «Be» star, with brightness that fluctuates as the disc waxes and wanes. It dominates the modest southern constellation of the Altar, marking one of the liveliest nodes of the southern sky.
Where it is and when to see it
Alpha 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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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 Alpha Ara
- Constellation
- Ara
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.84
- Distance
- 267.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 262.960° · Dec -49.876°
- Catalogue
- HIP 85792 · HD 158427
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.
- Beta Ara2.84
- Zeta Ara3.12
- Gamma Ara3.31
- Delta Ara3.60
- Theta Ara3.65
- Eta Ara3.77
- Epsilon 1 Ara4.06
- Sigma Ara4.56