Orange supergiant · Ara
β Arae
Also known as: β Ara, HIP 85258
mag 2.8650 light-years
About
β Arae is an orange supergiant of magnitude 2.8 in Ara, about 650 light-years away.
How to find it
- β Arae is in the constellation Ara.
- Best evenings: around late July it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 24° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesEasy, even from town.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | β Arae (β Ara) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 85258 |
| Type | Orange supergiant |
| Spectral type | K3Ib-II |
| Colour | OrangeB−V colour index 1.48 |
| Magnitude | 2.8The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 650 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1380. |
| Proper motion | 0.026″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Ara |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 25m 18.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 31′ 48″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →