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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.

Find it on the sky map

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The signature wall

Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works

If you don't have an account yet, we'll ask for an email to confirm it's you: we send you a link and that's it, no password.

Write my signature

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