Orange giant · Ara

ε¹ Arae

Also known as: ε¹ Ara, HIP 83153

mag 4.1360 light-years

About

ε¹ Arae is an orange giant of magnitude 4.1 in Ara, about 360 light-years away.

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How to find it

  • ε¹ 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 27° N.

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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

Designationε¹ Arae (ε¹ Ara)
Hipparcos numberHIP 83153
TypeOrange giant
Spectral typeK4III
ColourOrangeB−V colour index 1.45
Magnitude4.1The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance360 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1670.
Proper motion0.022″ per year across the sky
ConstellationAra
Right ascension (J2000)16h 59m 35.0s
Declination (J2000)−53° 09′ 37″

Sources and credits

Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →