Fomalhaut

[ foh-muhl-hawt, -muh-loh ]

noun

, Astronomy.

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

Fomalhaut

/ ˈfəʊməˌləʊt /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Fomalhaut¹

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”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Fomalhaut¹

C16: from Arabic fum'l-hūt mouth of the fish, referring to its position in the constellation

Example Sentences

And now we have to rethink our story about how planets and planetary systems form is our solar system typical or is the Fomalhaut system typical?

From Salon

The faintest star I’ve reliably seen in color is Fomalhaut, a first-magnitude star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus.

From Scientific American

Pollux, one of the two bright stars marking the head of Gemini, is brighter than Fomalhaut yet orange in color.

From Scientific American

Don’t confuse it with the nearby star Fomalhaut, which is closer to the horizon than Saturn and has almost exactly the same brightness.

From Scientific American

Indeed, while astronomers expected to see a lot of similar intricate details between our solar system and the Fomalhaut star system, they were surprised to find that it is more complicated than previously thought, in part because they discovered it has an unexpectedly convoluted asteroid belt.

From Salon