Constellation Fornax (Furnace)
Properties
Fornax is an inconspicuous constellation south of the Eridanus-Cetus border. It contains only a few stars bright enough to be distinctive. The constellation area is 398 square degrees and the centre culminates around midnight on November 4th. [9, 15]
| α For | Fornacis |
| IAU Name | Fornax |
| IAU Genitive | Fornacis |
| IAU Abbr. | For |
| English Name | Furnace |
| Culmination at local midnight | 7 November |
| Season (Latitude +46.8°) | September … February |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 01h 45m 24s … 03h 50m 21s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | -39° 30' 46" … -23° 45' 23" |
| Area | 398 deg2 |
| Neighbours (N↻) | Eri, Cet, Scl, Phe |
Deep-Sky Object Descriptions
Catalogues
History
The constellation was originally introduced in the mid-18th century by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille under the name Fornax Chemica (chemical furnace). The name was intended to underline the importance of chemistry as it appeared to contemporaries of the 18th and 19th centuries. The stars of this constellation used to belong to the constellation Eridanus. [7]