Fornax

This article is about a constellation of stars. For the Roman goddess, see Fornax (mythology).

Fornax

Constellation
List of stars in Fornax
Abbreviation	For
Genitive	Fornacis
Pronunciation	/ˈfɔrnæks/, genitive /fɔrˈneɪsɨs/
Symbolism	the brazier
Right ascension	3 h
Declination	−30°
Quadrant	SQ1
Area	398 sq. deg. (41st)
Main stars	2
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	27
Stars with planets	4
Stars brighter than 3.00m	0
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	2
Brightest star	α For (3.80m)
Nearest star	LP 944-20 (16.20 ly, 4.97 pc)
Messier objects	None
Meteor showers	None
Bordering constellations	Cetus Sculptor Phoenix Eridanus
Visible at latitudes between +50° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of December.

Fornax ( /ˈfɔrnæks/) is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for furnace. It was created in the 18th century and is now one of the 88 modern constellations.

History

Fornax was formed by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1756. He originally called it Fornax Chemica ("chemical furnace"), representing a small solid fuel heater used for heating chemical experiments.

Notable features

Fornax has been the target of investigations into the furthest reaches of the universe. The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is located within Fornax, and the Fornax Cluster, a small cluster of galaxies, lies primarily within Fornax. At a meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society in Britain, a team from University of Queensland described 40 unknown "dwarf" galaxies in this constellation; follow-up observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope revealed that ultra compact dwarfs are much smaller than previously known dwarf galaxies, about 120 light-years (37 pc) across (Hilker M. et. al., 2007).

NGC 1316 is a notably bright elliptical galaxy within the Fornax Cluster. The galaxy is also one of the brightest radio sources in the sky.

UDFj-39546284, a galaxy which was identified as the most distant object in the universe from Earth as of January 2011, is located in Fornax. It was detected using the Hubble UDF image.

HIP 13044 b is an exoplanet in the constellation, reported in November 2010, that was discovered to have originated outside of the galaxy.

Equivalents

In Chinese astronomy, the stars that correspond to Fornax are located within the White Tiger of the West (西方白虎, Xī Fāng Bái Hǔ).

See also

Fornax (Chinese astronomy)

References

• Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.
• Hilker M. et al.Weighing Ultracompact Dwarf Galaxies in the Fornax Cluster, Astronomical Science, The Messenger 129 – September 2007. The Messenger is a quarterly journal presenting ESO's activities to the public.

External links

• The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Fornax
• Starry Night Photography - Fornax Constellation
• Star Tales – Fornax