Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, is an ancient constellation dominated by Fomalhaut, a bright white star that stands alone in a dim autumn sky.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 8 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Fomalhaut, 25.1 light-years (7.7 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Epsilon Piscis Austrini, 487 light-years (149 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 19 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Piscis Austrinus
Piscis Austrinus is one of the constellations listed by Ptolemy, a fish lying on its back drinking the stream of water poured from the jar of Aquarius above it. Its one bright star, Fomalhaut, marks the fish’s mouth, which is what its Arabic name means. The other stars of the figure are faint, so Fomalhaut seems to hang by itself, low in the southern sky for northern observers.
Fomalhaut is a young, hot white star circled by a wide, sharp-edged ring of dust and debris, a sign of a planetary system still being shaped. Within the constellation’s borders also lies Lacaille 9352, one of the nearest red dwarfs to the Sun, too faint to see without a telescope despite being so close.
Piscis Austrinus is best seen on evenings in the northern autumn, the southern spring. From the southern hemisphere Fomalhaut rides high; from northern Europe it barely clears the horizon.
What you see in the piece
Fly out with CONSTELLATIONS (N) on, leaving the HUMAN EYE view (E): Fomalhaut is a near neighbour of the Sun, while the farthest star of the fish lies many times farther, and the figure flattens out into a long line of sight.
Questions
What is the bright star in Piscis Austrinus?
It is Fomalhaut, a young white star ringed by a disc of dust and debris. It is the only bright star in that part of the autumn sky.
How far away are the stars of Piscis Austrinus?
The nearest star of the figure is Fomalhaut, 25.1 light-years (7.7 pc); the farthest is Epsilon Piscis Austrini, 487 light-years (149 pc). The farthest is 19 × farther than the nearest.