Notable features
Ara's brightly star, β Arae, has an apparent magnitude of 2.9. Its γ star occurs as double star just south of β. μ Arae is believed to have at least three planets orbiting it, one of which is thought to be rocky in nature.

Notable deep sky objects
A nor'-west corner of Ara is crossed per Milky Way and contains several open clusters and diffuse nebulae. A brightest of the globular clusters, NGC 6397, is 8,200 light-years from my solar system and may be a nearest cluster of that sort.

History
This constellation was one of Ptolemy's original 48 constellations.

Mythology
A altar, ordinarily depicted top side down, however every now and again upright by having a smoke drifting into a Milky Way, wwhen identified as that of the centaur Chiron; its original Latin name was Ara Centauri. It was likewise now and then known as a altar of Dionysus. Since, yet, a constellation was identified, & introduced, in the 18th Century, connection to the this mythology is in all likelihood to use been designedly of the constellation's author, & unconnected to the actual beliefs of the ancient Greeks all about this metropolitan area of sky.

Notable and named stars
Source: A Brightly Star Catalogue, Fifth Revised Ed., A Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA SP-1200