Fornax (The Chemical Furnace) Constellation
Fornax (pronounced ˈfɔːrnæks) is the Latin name of a constellation situated south of the celestial equator. As such, it is more easily visible from the southern hemisphere.
In English language this constellation is also known as "The Chemical furnace" while in astronomical texts and literature this constellation is often abbreviated as "For" (according to the standard of the International Astronomical Union - IAU) or as "Forn" (according to a naming convention used by NASA).
The Latin genitive of the constellation name is "Fornacis" (pronounced fɔːrˈneɪsɪs) and it is used to identify some of the brightest stars in this constellation based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star naming convention. For instance: α Fornacis (the brightest star of Fornax based on the Bayer catalog); or 23 Fornacis (the 23th star in the constellation of Fornax based on the Flamsteed catalog).
Sky Chart of Fornax Constellation
Here we provide a simplified sky chart of the Fornax constellation. Alternatively it is possible to locate Fornax in the night sky using our Online Interactive Planetarium.
Visibility of Fornax Constellation
Location: Greenwich, UK
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Fornax rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, UK are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times provided here are just directional indications and they refer to a point approximately placed at the center of the constellation. In case of very large constellations these times can have little relevance.
Bright Stars in Fornax Constellation
The table below lists the top 20 brightest stars in the Fornax constellation. See also the complete list of 65 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 (approximate) in the constellation of Fornax. Click on each star to see more details about it.
HR Number(*) | Star designation | Proper name | Visual magnitude | Color | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HR963 | α Fornacis | Dalim | 3.87 | ⬤ | Variable; Double; | |
HR841 | β Fornacis | 4.46 | ⬤ | Double; | ||
HR612 | ν Fornacis | 4.69 | ⬤ | Variable; | ||
HR749 | ω Fornacis | 4.9 | ⬤ | Double; | ||
HR1134 | δ Fornacis | 5 | ⬤ | |||
HR724 | φ Fornacis | 5.14 | ⬤ | |||
HR695 | κ Fornacis | 5.2 | ⬤ | |||
HR652 | μ Fornacis | 5.28 | ⬤ | |||
HR594 | π Fornacis | 5.35 | ⬤ | |||
HR845 | γ2 Fornacis | 5.39 | ⬤ | |||
HR851 | η3 Fornacis | 5.47 | ⬤ | |||
HR1184 | ρ Fornacis | 5.54 | ⬤ | Variable; | ||
HR1004 | 5.61 | ⬤ | Variable; | |||
HR901 | ζ Fornacis | 5.71 | ⬤ | |||
HR1054 | χ2 Fornacis | 5.71 | ⬤ | |||
HR767 | ι1 Fornacis | 5.75 | ⬤ | |||
HR772 | λ2 Fornacis | 5.79 | ⬤ | |||
HR777 | ι2 Fornacis | 5.83 | ⬤ | |||
HR914 | ε Fornacis | 5.89 | ⬤ | |||
HR744 | λ1 Fornacis | 5.9 | ⬤ | |||
...go to the complete list of 65 bright stars in the constellation of Fornax |
(*) HR stands for Harvard Revised Bright Star Catalogue, which is also known as the Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars.
Deep Sky Objects in Fornax Constellation
The table below lists the 20 brightest deep sky objects in the Fornax constellation. See also the complete list of 109 deep sky objects in the constellation of Fornax. The list includes objects from the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC).