Star profile

Eta 3 Fornax

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Eta 3 Fornax

Eta³ Fornacis is one of the optical components of the Eta trio of the Furnace, a discreet southern constellation drafted by Lacaille in the eighteenth century to commemorate the laboratory chemical furnace. It is an orange K-type giant whose light has been crossing space for more than 459 years. Its modest brightness and its position in a region without major beacons demand of the observer a truly dark sky and a clear southern horizon.

Where it is and when to see it

Eta 3 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 3° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 14° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 88° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 54° N.

It ranks no. 11 in brightness among the 26 stars of Fornax in our catalogue. To find it, start from Dalim, the brightest: it lies about 8° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 460 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on Eta 3 Fornax

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, 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 Eta 3 Fornax

Constellation: Fornax
Apparent magnitude: 5.48
Distance: 459.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 42.668° · Dec -35.676°
Catalogue: HIP 13265 · HD 17829

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