ARA

Ara, the Altar, lies just south of Scorpius, whose southern portion (the southern bend of the tail) is seen at the top. The constellation's luminary, Beta Arae, is the upper of the pair of stars toward bottom center. Alpha Arae, which is just barely fainter, is just below the center. The remainder of the constellation stretches toward the bottom, where it is cut off by the southern horizon. The bright star above the center of the picture is Girtab, Theta Scorpii. The bright open cluster M 7 is toward upper left, while the modern constellation Telescopium is at lower left. The globular cluster NGC 6397 lies just up and to the left of Beta Arae. The red color of the stars near the lower edge of the picture is caused by their shining through the Earth's thick atmosphere. Ara has a star with three planets. Photo courtesy of Chris Grohusko.