κ Arae (kappa Arae)

κ Arae is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Ara.

κ Arae visual magnitude is 5.23. Because of its reltive faintness, κ Arae should be visible only from locations with dark skyes, while it is not visible at all from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about κ Arae:

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of κ Arae

κ 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 κ Arae are provided in the following table:

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

Visibility of κ Arae from your location

κ Arae (kappa Arae) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Digitized Sky Survey image of κ Arae

The image below is a photograph of κ 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 κ Arae is 0.007 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.001 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of κ Arae from the Sun and relative movement

κ Arae is distant 398.05 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 17 kilometers per second.

Spectral properties of κ Arae

κ Arae belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

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

κ Arae star system properties

κ 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 κ Arae double sysyem:

Alternative designations of κ Arae