Dalim is the brightest star of Fornax, the furnace, a yellow-white star a little hotter than the Sun in a faint southern constellation drawn by Lacaille.
At a glance
| type | yellow-white star (class F) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 46.4 light-years (14.2 pc) |
| its light left it | 46.4 years ago |
| luminosity | 5.46 × the Sun |
| radius | 1.99 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 6,250 K |
| constellation | Fornax (Furnace) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Dalim
Dalim is a class F star, somewhat hotter, larger and more luminous than the Sun. It is close to the Sun on the scale of the stars around it, which is why so modest a star is still the brightest point in its constellation. A telescope shows a fainter companion that orbits it slowly.
Fornax is one of the constellations created by the French astronomer Lacaille when he charted the southern sky, originally a chemist’s furnace. It sits in a bend of the river Eridanus, a region with few bright stars that is better known for the distant galaxies seen through it.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Dalim is a pale yellow-white point, near enough to stay visible as you move. The furnace, like every figure, is only a pattern seen from Earth.
Questions
What is the brightest star in Fornax?
Dalim, Alpha Fornacis, is the brightest star of Fornax, 46.4 light-years (14.2 pc) from the Sun.