Star profile

Zeta Fornax

3D likeness based on its real data · class F · ~6,500 K

What is Zeta Fornax

Zeta Fornacis is a yellow-white F-type star, a quiet member of the Furnace, that southern constellation only the trained eye picks out between Eridanus and the Sculptor. Its light takes a little over 106 years to reach us. It belongs to the spectral family that lies between the Sun and the hotter stars, in full stability —close enough to be well studied, discreet enough to escape astronomical folklore.

Where it is and when to see it

Zeta 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 13° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 24° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 81° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 65° N.

It ranks no. 14 in brightness among the 26 stars of Fornax in our catalogue. To find it, start from Dalim, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 110 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 Zeta Fornax

Constellation: Fornax
Apparent magnitude: 5.69
Distance: 106.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 44.901° · Dec -25.274°
Catalogue: HIP 13942 · HD 18692

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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