When is the best time to observe Fomalhaut?

Fomalhaut is best observed from July through September, with peak visibility during August when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is Fomalhaut located in the sky?

Fomalhaut lies in the constellation Piscis Austrinus at right ascension 22h 58m and declination -29° 37′.

What telescope do I need to see Fomalhaut?

At magnitude 1.2, Fomalhaut is visible to the naked eye under most conditions.

Fomalhaut — Star in Piscis Austrinus

HIP 113368; Alpha Piscis Austrini; 24 Piscis Austrini

Magnitude 1.2^m Star Piscis Austrinus (PsA) Visible

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About Fomalhaut

Description

Fomalhaut is a white main-sequence star of spectral type A3V at magnitude 1.16, the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus and the 18th brightest in the sky. Located about 25 light-years from Earth, it is famous for its prominent debris disk, which was one of the first to be directly imaged. Fomalhaut has a luminosity of about 16 times solar.

Observing Tips

Fomalhaut is the 'lonely' bright star of the autumn sky — it sits in a sparse region well south of the Great Square of Pegasus, with no other bright stars nearby. This isolation makes it easy to identify. From mid-northern latitudes it is always low on the southern horizon. Best observed September through November.

History

The name Fomalhaut comes from the Arabic 'fam al-hut,' meaning 'the mouth of the fish.' It was one of the four Royal Stars of ancient Persia, marking the winter solstice around 2500 BC. In 2008, Fomalhaut became one of the first stars to have an apparent exoplanet directly imaged by Hubble, though the nature of 'Fomalhaut b' remains debated.

Fun Facts

Fomalhaut's debris ring has been called the 'Eye of Sauron' because of its appearance in Hubble images. The ring's sharp inner edge was originally attributed to a shepherd planet, but the object 'Fomalhaut b' may actually be an expanding dust cloud from a collision between two asteroids rather than a planet.