"The Altar"
Location: R.A. = 17h, Dec. = 55 S
Mythology: Ara is an altar.
This celestial altar was set up into the heavens before the war that established
Zeus as the leader of the Olympians (by overthrowing his father Cronus).
It was upon this altar that the Olympians swore their oath of allegiance.
Another story says that the altar was built after the war, as part of the
celebration of their victory.
The ancient Greeks considered Altar
to be an omen of the weather. It was said that if Ara was visible
in a sky that otherwise was covered in clouds, storms would be coming from
the South. Like many other "omens," there is some validity in this
claim: In Greece, Ara is only a small distance above the southern
horizon, even at its greatest altitude above the horizon.
Interesting Sight: Globular Cluster NGC6397, which is the closest star group to our Solar System.
NGC6397