Star profile

Sigma Fornax

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

What is Sigma Fornax

Sigma Fornacis is a white double on the main sequence 329 light-years away, splittable with a modest telescope. It is drifting toward the Solar System at about 13 km/s inside Fornax: the small constellation Nicolas Louis de Lacaille traced from the Cape of Good Hope in the 18th century to honour the chemist's laboratory, one of the first patches of sky born of science.

Where it is and when to see it

Sigma 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 November, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 9° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 20° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 85° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 61° N.

It ranks no. 21 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 330 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 Sigma Fornax

Constellation: Fornax
Apparent magnitude: 5.91
Distance: 329.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 56.614° · Dec -29.338°
Catalogue: HIP 17618 · HD 23738

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