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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » 

Fornax (The Chemical Furnace) Constellation

Altitude: -37.6°   Azimuth: 94.5°   Direction: East

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).

Fornax is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
Available Resources for Fornax

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.

Chart of  constellation
This constellation image is derivatve work based on original work by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) CC-BY-3.0.

Visibility of Fornax Constellation

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's Fornax rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 121.1°
Max altitude: 7.4°
Azimuth: 238.9°
Fornax is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

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).

Name Type Magnitude
NGC 1316 (Fornax A) Galaxy 8.53 (V)
NGC 1360 Planetary Nebula 9.4 (V)
NGC 1097 Galaxy 9.48 (V)
NGC 1399 Galaxy 9.59 (V)
NGC 1365 Galaxy 9.63 (V)
NGC 1380 Galaxy 9.93 (V)
NGC 1404 Galaxy 10 (V)
NGC 1340 Galaxy 10.32 (V)
NGC 1398 Galaxy 10.37 (B)
NGC 1350 Galaxy 10.52 (V)
NGC 1326 Galaxy 10.54 (V)
NGC 1201 Galaxy 10.64 (V)
NGC 1387 Galaxy 10.69 (V)
NGC 1379 Galaxy 10.91 (V)
NGC 986 Galaxy 10.91 (V)
NGC 1385 Galaxy 10.94 (V)
NGC 1317 (Fornax B) Galaxy 11.02 (V)
NGC 1374 Galaxy 11.08 (V)
NGC 1079 Galaxy 11.37 (V)
...go to the complete list of 109 deep sky objects in the constellation of Fornax