Alpha Piscis Austrini

Fomalhaut (α Piscis Austrini) is the the most brilliant star of the Constellation of the southern Poisson, and the 17th most brilliant star of the night sky. Its name comes from the Arab فمالحوت fum Al-ħūt , which means “the mouth of fish”.

It is about a star of the principal Séquence, of spectral Type, located at approximately 25 light-years of the Solar system.

It seems that Fomalhaut is a relatively young, old star from only 200 to 300 million years, and of which the lifespan should not exceed the billion years. Its chemical composition is identical to the Sun.

Fomalhaut is surrounded by a disc of dust in form of Tore whose interior edge is with approximately 133 ua (1ua=distance Ground-Sun, either 150.000.000 of km of star, or more than three times the distance from the Sun to Pluton. This disc has a width of approximately 25 ua, a diameter of 20 billion km and its geometrical center is shifted of almost 15 ua of Fomalhaut; it is sometimes called the Ceinture of Kuiper of Fomalhaut . It seems that planets were already formed around.

See too

List of most brilliant stars

External bonds

'' Sky and Telescope '': Fomalhaut' S Kuiper Belt

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