Ara (constellation)

Ara is a constellation in the southern sky.  Ara means altar in Latin.  It was one of the 48 constellations written down by the astronomer named Ptolemy in the 2nd century.  It is also one of the 88 modern constellations that were made by the International Astronomical Union.

In Greek mythology, Ara is the altar where Zeus and his brothers and sisters said that they were going to win in a war against Cronos and the other Titans.  It is also where people burned incense to show that they appreciated Zeus.  The Greek poet named Aratus said that if sailors could see the constellation Ara, it meant that there was going to be wind blowing from the south.

The Stingray Nebula is in Ara.  It is the  planetary nebula that was created most recently.

NGC 6193 is an open cluster at about 3,765 light-years away from Earth.

References

Category:Constellations
Category:Constellations listed by Ptolemy