June 29, 2016, Fomalhaut, the star

June 29, 2016: 

Here is some general information about the star named Fomalhaut that I found on several websites from the internet:

Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus and one of the brightest stars in the sky. It is a Class A star on the main sequence approximately 25 light-years from Earth as measured by the Hipparcos astrometry satellite. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified. It is classified as a Vega-like star that emits excess infrared radiation, indicating it is surrounded by a circumstellar disk. Fomalhaut B, K-type star TW Piscis Austrini and Fomalhaut C, M-type star LP 876-10 constitute a triple system even though the companions are separated by several degrees.

Fomalhaut holds a special significance in extrasolar planet research, as it is the center of the first stellar system with a visible extrasolar planet candidate (Fomalhaut b) imaged at visible wavelengths. The image was announced on November 13, 2008 (my sister’s birthday!) and published in Science in November 2008.  Fomalhaut b was believed to have at least the mass of Neptune.  In 2012, studies confirmed that while Fomalhaut b does exist, it is shrouded by debris, so it may be a gravitationally-bound accumulation of rubble rather than a whole planet.  In 2013 it was determined that the planet had a 2,000-year long highly irregular elliptical orbit.  In 2015, the planet earned a name: Dagon. 

Fomalhaut is the third brightest star (as viewed from Earth) known to have a planetary system, after the Sun and Pollux.  Fomalhaut is sometimes called the Loneliest Star because no other bright stars shine near it in the sky.  Fomalhaut is more recently known as the “Eye of Sauron” because the image of its striking debris disk looks eerily similar to the image of the Eye in the Lord of the Rings films. 

Fomalhaut is a young star, for many years thought to be only 100 to 300 million years old, with a potential lifespan of a billion years, less than our cooler, older, slower-burning sun.  Fomalhaut's mass is about 1.92 times that of the Sun, its luminosity is about 16.6 times greater, and its diameter is roughly 1.84 times as large.  It is located south of the celestial equator, but is visible from a large part of the Northern Hemisphere. 

Fomalhaut is associated with Archangel Gabriel (with Archangel Michael associated with Aldebaron/Tishtya and the cardinal direction of east, Archangel Raphael associated with Regulus/Venant and the cardinal direction of south, and Archangel Uriel associated with Antares/Satevis and the cardinal direction of west).  Archangel Rapael and Regulus were considered to be the leaders of the four Watchers or Guardians or Royal Stars for a long time, but with the advent of the “age of man,” the leadership has fallen to the more human of the Archangels, Gabriel.  Remember that in the New Testament of Christianity, it is Archangel Gabriel who announces the birth of Christ. 

Fomalhaut has a kind of mixed influence on us.  His energies can be magickal and mystical and highly spiritual, or they could encourage us to be lethargic, to hide from reality, and prone to substance abuse.  Like the other three Royal Stars, Fomalhaut can offer glory, honor, fame, and riches, but he also can raise us to heights from which we would not want to fall.  Keeping grounded in reality is the challenge here; something for me to remember.

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