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

Yet astronomers have now identified evidence of two enormous collisions around a nearby star named Fomalhaut, all within just 20 years.

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

Wyatt estimates that roughly 300 million planetesimals of similar size orbit Fomalhaut.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

Fomalhaut is larger than the sun and surrounded by an extensive and complex set of dusty debris belts.

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

Fomalhaut and Capella, in Auriga, rise almost exactly at the same minute.

From A Field Book of the Stars by Olcott, William Tyler