Star profile

Phi Fornax

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Phi Fornax

Phi Fornacis lives in the Furnace constellation, a modern outline introduced in the eighteenth century by Lacaille when he charted the southern sky. It is a white A-type star about 152 light-years away, hotter and younger than the Sun. Its discreet presence joins a handful of faint stars in a region of the firmament barely distinguishable to the naked eye, yet keenly studied by modern astronomy.

Where it is and when to see it

Phi Fornax lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 5° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 15° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 90° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 56° N.

It ranks no. 6 in brightness among the 26 stars of Fornax in our catalogue. To find it, start from Dalim, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 150 years ago.

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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for Phi Fornax

Constellation: Fornax
Apparent magnitude: 5.13
Distance: 152.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 37.007° · Dec -33.811°
Catalogue: HIP 11477 · HD 15427

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Other stars in Fornax

Fornax has 26 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 26 stars in Fornax