Star profile

Lambda 2 Fornax

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Lambda 2 Fornax

Lambda-2 Fornacis is a rare gem: a sun-like yellow star at 84 light-years that, according to the Anglo-Australian Planet Search, hides a giant planet in orbit, confirmed in 2009. Its mass and temperature place it just one step above the Sun, making it a natural laboratory for understanding what awaits the solar system a few billion years from now.

Where it is and when to see it

Lambda 2 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 4° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 15° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 89° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 55° N.

It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 26 stars of Fornax in our catalogue. To find it, start from Dalim, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 84 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 Lambda 2 Fornax

Constellation: Fornax
Apparent magnitude: 5.78
Distance: 84.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 39.244° · Dec -34.578°
Catalogue: HIP 12186 · HD 16417

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Fornax

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

See all 26 stars in Fornax