Orange giant · Ara
ζ Arae
Also known as: ζ Ara, HIP 83081
mag 3.1490 light-years
About
ζ Arae is an orange giant of magnitude 3.1 in Ara, about 490 light-years away.
How to find it
- ζ 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
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- 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 | ζ Arae (ζ Ara) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 83081 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K5III |
| Colour | Orange-redB−V colour index 1.55 |
| Magnitude | 3.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 490 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1540. |
| Proper motion | 0.040″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Ara |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 58m 37.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 59′ 24″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →