FOMALHAUT

also called Alpha Piscis Austrini the 18th star (excluding the Sun) in order of apparent brightness. It is used in navigation because of its conspicuous place in a sky region otherwise lacking in bright stars. It lies in the southern constellation Piscis Austrinus, about 22.5 light-years from the Earth. A white star, it has an apparent magnitude of 1.18. A sixth-magnitude companion star is yellow. Fomalhaut was associated with the Roman goddess Ceres (associated with the analogous Sicilian and Greek goddess Demeter) and was worshiped; in astrology it is one of four royal stars.