Fomalhaut (α PsA / α Piscis Austrini / Alpha Piscis Austrini) is the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus and one of the brightest stars in the night time sky. Its name means "mouth of the whale", from the Arabic فم الحوت fum al-ḥawt. It is a class A star on the main sequence approximately 25 light-years (7.7 parsecs) from Earth. Fomalhaut is a Fallen Angel listed in the Book of Enoch. ... Download high resolution version (2000x1312, 1006 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (IPA [ˈnæsÉ™]) is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... In astronomy, an epoch is a moment in time for which celestial coordinates or orbital elements are specified. ... This article is about the star grouping. ... From the dawn of time, poop observed the sky and grouped stars into patterns or constellations. ... Piscis Austrinus or Piscis Australis (both of which are Latin for Southern Fish) was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy, and is also one of the 88 modern constellations. ... Equatorial Coordinates Right ascension (abbrev. ... In astronomy, declination (abbrev. ... The apparent magnitude (m) of a star, planet or other celestial body is a measure of its apparent brightness as seen by an observer on Earth. ... In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated spectral characteristics, and subsequently refined in terms of other characteristics. ... In astronomy, the color index is a simple numerical expression that determines the color of an object, which in the case of a star gives its temperature. ... In astronomy, the color index is a simple numerical expression that determines the color of an object, which in the case of a star gives its temperature. ... Illustration of the use of optical wavelength interferometry to determine precise positions of stars. ... Radial velocity is the velocity of an object in the direction of the line of sight. ... kilometre per second is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), signified by the symbol km/s or km s-1. ... The proper motion of a star is the motion of the position of the star in the sky (the change in direction in which we see it, as opposed to the radial velocity) after eliminating the improper motions of the stars, which affect their measured coordinates but are not real... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... A year (from Old English gÄ“r) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... A year (from Old English gÄ“r) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... For other uses, see Parallax (disambiguation). ... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... Distance is a numerical description of how far apart objects are at any given moment in time. ... A light-year or lightyear (symbol: ly) is a unit of measurement of length, specifically the distance light travels in vacuum in one year. ... A parsec is the distance from the Earth to an astronomical object which has a parallax angle of one arcsecond. ... In astronomy, absolute magnitude is the apparent magnitude, m, an object would have if it were at a standard luminosity distance away from us, in the absence of interstellar extinction. ... For other uses, see Mass (disambiguation). ... 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Piscis Austrinus or Piscis Australis (both of which are Latin for Southern Fish) was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy, and is also one of the 88 modern constellations. ... Bright stars can be bright because they produce more light, because they are closer to us, or both. ... Arabic redirects here. ... In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated spectral characteristics, and subsequently refined in terms of other characteristics. ... This article is about the astronomical object. ... Hertzsprung-Russell diagram The main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is the curve where the majority of stars are located in this diagram. ... Alternate cover Tour Edition Cover Light Years is also the American name of the Rene Laloux animated film Gandahar. ... A parsec is the distance from the Earth to an astronomical object which has a parallax angle of one arcsecond. ... 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Until about March 2000, Fomalhaut and Achernar were the two first magnitude stars furthest in angular distance from any other first magnitude star in the celestial sphere. Antares, in the constellation of Scorpius, is now the most isolated first magnitude star. The position of Achernar Achernar (Alpha Eridani) is a bright supergiant star visible in the southern part of the night sky in the constellation of Eridanus in the Milky Way. ... By apparent magnitude Below the 100 Brightest stars as seen from Earth (by apparent magnitude at visible wavelengths) according to the Hipparcos sky survey. ... The celestial sphere is divided by the celestial equator. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the constellation. ...

Age

Fomalhaut is believed to be a young star, only 200 to 300 million years old, with a potential lifespan of only a billion years. The surface temperature of the star is around 8500 kelvins. Compared to the Sun, its mass is about 2.3, its luminosity is about 15, and its diameter is roughly 1.7. For other uses, see Kelvin (disambiguation). ... Sol redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

System

It is surrounded by a disk of dust in a toroidal shape with a very sharp inner edge at a radial distance of 133 AU, inclined 24 degrees from edge-on. The dust is distributed in a belt about 25 AU wide. The geometric centre of the disk is offset by about 15 AU from Fomalhaut, suggesting the presence of a planet perturbing the disk ^[1]. The disk is sometimes referred to as "Fomalhaut's Kuiper belt". Fomalhaut's disk is believed to be protoplanetary, and emits considerable infrared radiation. The astronomical unit (AU or au or a. ... The Kuiper belt, derived from data from the Minor Planet Center. ... For other uses, see Infrared (disambiguation). ...

The much-fainter flare star TW Piscis Austrini is located within a light year of Fomalhaut and the two share a common proper motion through the sky. They are believed to be companion stars and may have had a common origin in a star cluster. A flare star is a variable star which can undergo unpredictable dramatic increases in brightness for a few minutes or a few hours. ... TW Piscis Austrini is a dwarf star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. ... A light-year or lightyear (symbol: ly) is a unit of measurement of length, specifically the distance light travels in vacuum in one year. ... The proper motion of a star is the motion of the position of the star in the sky (the change in direction in which we see it, as opposed to the radial velocity) after eliminating the improper motions of the stars, which affect their measured coordinates but are not real...

Etymology and cultural significance

Fomalhaut, has had various names ascribed to it through time. One such name in common use is the Lonely Star of Autumn, because it is the only first-magnitude star in the autumn sky of mid-northern latitudes. It has been recognized by many cultures of the northern hemisphere, including the Arabs, Persians and Chinese. Archaeological evidence links it to rituals dating back to about 2500 BCE. It is one of the Persians' four "royal stars". The Stregheria religion from Italy, portrays Fomalhaut as a fallen angel and quarter guardian of the northern gate. This article is about the temperate season. ... This article is about the geographical term. ... Northern hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... The Persians of Iran (officially named Persia by West until 1935 while still referred to as Persia by some) are an Iranian people who speak Persian (locally named Fârsi by native speakers) and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. ... The Persians of Iran (officially named Persia by West until 1935 while still referred to as Persia by some) are an Iranian people who speak Persian (locally named Fârsi by native speakers) and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. ... The four Royal stars or Guardians of the Sky were a group of stars noticed by the Persian astrologers around 3000 BC and used as a rudimentary season calendar. ... Ways of the Strega published in 1994, described Raven Grimassis view of Stregheria and popularized Italian-based witchcraft. ... For other uses, see Fallen angel (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Fomalhaut in fiction

The planetary systems of stars other than the Sun and its Solar System are a staple element in much science fiction. ...

Notes

is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

References

1. Nature 435, 1067-1070 (23 June 2005) | doi: 10.1038/nature03601

Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. ...

External links

• Fomalhaut. SolStation. Retrieved on November 23, 2005.
• ALF Psa. ARICNS. Retrieved on November 23, 2005.