Fornax

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Fornax

astronomy

Written by Erik Gregersen

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Latin:: “Furnace”

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Fornax, constellation in the southern sky at about 3 hours right ascension and 30° south in declination. Its brightest star is Alpha Fornacis, with a magnitude of 3.9. The French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille formed this constellation in 1754; it represents a type of furnace that is used in chemical experiments.