Yellow giant · Fornax
β Fornacis
Also known as: β For, HIP 13147
mag 4.5170 light-years
About
β Fornacis is a yellow giant of magnitude 4.5 in Fornax, about 170 light-years away.
How to find it
- β Fornacis is in the constellation Fornax.
- Best evenings: around mid-December it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 48° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | β Fornacis (β For) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 13147 |
| Type | Yellow giant |
| Spectral type | G8III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.98 |
| Magnitude | 4.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 170 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1850. |
| Proper motion | 0.18″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 02h 49m 05.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −32° 24′ 21″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →