Fornax lies in a region of the sky rather sparse in stars. The constellation is surrounded by Cetus, Phoenix and Eridanus. Three stars create a pattern resembling a flattened 'V'. Fornax is an autumn constellation in the northern hemisphere.
History and Mythology
Fornax was introduced by the astronomer Lacaille in 1752. After naming a nearby constellation, Sculptor, he created a furnace for the craftsman to use for his work. As a modern constellation, Fornax has no mythology.
Notable Objects
The brightest stars in Fornax include 4th-magnitude Alpha Fornacis at a distance of 45 light-years, and Beta Fornacis which is a 5th magnitude star at a distance of 148 light-years.
Fornax contains several prominent galaxies, many of which are in the Fornax Cluster of Galaxies, which lies some 55 million light-years away. This cluster includes about 2 dozen galaxies concentrated in a few square degrees. The most prominent galaxy is the beautiful NGC 1365. It is a 10th magnitude, barred spiral galaxy visible in an 8 inch telescope.
NGC 1316 is a bright elliptical southwest of NGC 1365, and is known as the radio source Fornax A.
NGC 1097 is a fine barred spiral, seen face-on at magnitude 9.5. NGC 1360 is a planetary nebula that lies an estimated 700 light years distant.