Fornax

Fornax

Infobox Constellation
name = Fornax
abbreviation = For
genitive = Fornacis
symbology = the furnace
RA = 3
dec= −30
areatotal = 398
arearank = 41st
numbermainstars = 2
numberbfstars = 27
numberstarsplanets = 1
numberbrightstars = 0
numbernearbystars = 2
brighteststarname = α For
starmagnitude = 3.87
neareststarname = HD 14412
stardistance = 41.35
numbermessierobjects = None
meteorshowers = None
bordering =Cetus
Sculptor
Phoenix
Eridanus
latmax = 50
latmin = 90
month = December
notes=

Fornax (pronEng|ˈfɔrnæks, _la. furnace) is a southern constellation which was first introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille under the name "Fornax Chemica" (Latin for "chemical furnace"), representing a small solid-fuel heater formerly used for heating chemical experiments.

The Fornax Dwarf galaxy is in Fornax.

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is located within Fornax.

At a meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society in Britain, a team from University of Queensland described 40 unknown "dwarf" galaxies in this constellation.

They also described Fornax as being "on Earth's doorstep", because α Fornacis is only about 46 light-years away.

Follow-up observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope revealed that Ultra Compact Dwarfs are much smaller than previously known dwarf galaxies, about 120 light-years across.

"Tens of millions of stars are squashed into what is a tiny volume by galaxy standards," the observatory said in a statement.

The Fornax Cluster, a small cluster of galaxies lies primarily in the constellation Fornax.

Mythology

In Roman mythology, Fornax was the goddess of bread and baking, although this has nothing to do with the constellation ("fornax" is just the Roman word for "furnace"), as the constellation was created in 1756.

Deep sky objects

NGC 1316 is a notably bright elliptical galaxy within the Fornax Cluster. The galaxy is also one of the brightest radio sources in the sky.

References

* Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). "Stars and Planets Guide", Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.

External links

* [http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/fornax/constell.html The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Fornax]
* [http://www.starrynightphotos.com/constellations/fornax_phoenix.htm Starry Night Photography - Fornax Constellation]
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/fornax.htm Star Tales – Fornax]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fornax — Nombre Latino Fornax Abreviatura For …   Wikipedia Español

  • Fornax — est la déesse des fours, qu on utilisait à l époque pour torréfier les grains de blé. La légende dit que les Romains offraient à Cérès les prémices mais qu ensuite, ils brûlaient à la cuisson leurs grains, voire la maison… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • FORNAX — Dea a Romanis habita est, quoniam, ante triticum et eius usum, far fornacibus torrebatur. Unde Virg. Georg. l. 1. v. 267. Nunc torrete igni fruges. Idem Aen. l. 1. v. 183. Et torrere parant flammis. Eius meminêrunt Festus, Lactant. et Ovid. in… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Fornax — goddess of ovens in ancient Rome, from L. fornax furnace, oven, kiln (see FURNACE (Cf. furnace)). The dim constellation (representing a chemical furnace) was added by de Lacaille in 1756 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Fornax — (röm. Myth.), Göttin der Öfen, in welchen man das Getreide dörrte, um dasselbe hierauf in Mörsern zu zerstoßen. Numa weihete ihr die Fornacalĭen, wo man um Abwendung alles Schadens beim Dörren anrief. Das Fest fiel auf keinen bestimmten Tag,… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Fornax [1] — Fornax, Sternbild, s. Ofen …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Fornax [2] — Fornax (lat., »Ofen«), römische Göttin der Ofen und des Dörrens des Korns im Backofen. Ihr galt das uralte Fest der Fornakalien im Februar …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Fornax — FORNAX, ácis, eine besondere Göttinn der Römer, welche machen sollte, daß das Getraide nicht verbrenne, wenn es, nach damaliger Weise, erst in den Oefen gedörret werden mußte, ehe es konnte gemahlen werden. Ovid. Fast. II. v. 525. Das Fest,… …   Gründliches mythologisches Lexikon

  • Fornax — [fôr′naks΄] n. [L, lit., FURNACE] a S constellation between Eridanus and Cetus …   English World dictionary

  • Fornax — Daten des Sternbildes Chemischer Ofen Deutscher Name Chemischer Ofen Lateinischer Name Fornax Lateinischer Genitiv Fornacis Lateinische Abkürzung For Rektaszension 1h 40m bis 3h 40m …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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