Fomalhaut

American  

[foh-muhl-hawt, -muh-loh] / ˈfoʊ məlˌhɔt, -məˌloʊ /

noun

Astronomy.

1. a star of the first magnitude and the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus.

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Fomalhaut British  

/ ˈfəʊməˌləʊt /

noun

1. the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus, possessing a protoplanetary disc. Distance: 25 light years. Spectral type A3V

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Etymology

Origin of Fomalhaut

First recorded in 1585–95; from Spanish Arabic fam al-ḥawt “mouth of the fish”; so called from its position in the constellation Piscis Austrinus ( Latin , literally “southern fish”)

Example Sentences

Over tens of thousands of years, Kalas explained, the region around Fomalhaut would appear to be filled with glowing debris, "sparkling with these collisions" -- similar to twinkling holiday lights.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

"Fomalhaut is much younger than the solar system, but when our solar system was 440 million years old, it was littered with planetesimals crashing into each other," Kalas said.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

Fomalhaut lies in the southern constellation Piscis Austrinus and shines with 16 times the luminosity of our sun, making it one of the brightest stars visible from Earth.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

A second new object, called Fomalhaut cs2, appeared nearby, but its position ruled out the possibility that it was the same object reappearing.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

As for the rest—see, there is Cassiopeia, a little to the left is Andromeda, further down is the great square of Pegasus, and to the southwest Fomalhaut can be easily seen swallowing the Cascade.

From All Around the Moon by Roth, Edward