α Arae (alpha Arae)

α Arae is a variable and double main-sequence star in the constellation of Ara.

α Arae visual magnitude is 2.95. Thanks to its high brightness, α Arae is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about α Arae:

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of α Arae

α Arae is situated south of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern emisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of α Arae are provided in the following table:

The simplified sky map below shows the position of α Arae in the sky:

Visibility of α Arae from your location

α Arae (alpha Arae) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Digitized Sky Survey image of α Arae

The image below is a photograph of α Arae from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of α Arae is -0.031 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.07 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of α Arae from the Sun and relative movement

α Arae is distant 242.20 light years from the Sun

Spectral properties of α Arae

α Arae belongs to spectral class B2 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

The red dot in the diagram below shows where α Arae is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

α Arae star system properties

α Arae is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the α Arae double sysyem:

Alternative designations of α Arae