Which constellation is named after a chemical furnace?

Fornax is the constellation named after a chemical furnace. Its Latin name means “furnace,” and its original French title, le Fourneau Chymique, referred specifically to the furnace used in chemical experiments.

French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced Fornax after observing the southern sky from the Cape of Good Hope in the 1750s. He originally depicted an alembic and receiver, pieces of laboratory equipment associated with distillation and early chemistry. The name was later shortened and Latinized to Fornax.

Fornax belongs to the group of constellations created during the Enlightenment to honor scientific instruments and ideas. Unlike many older constellations, it is not based on a classical animal, hero, or mythological creature. It lies in the southern celestial hemisphere and is partly surrounded by the river-shaped constellation Eridanus.

Fornax is not among the brightest constellations: its brightest star, Alpha Fornacis, has an apparent magnitude of about 3.9. The constellation is nevertheless scientifically notable because it contains the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy and the region photographed in the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field.