Fomalhaut, the 'solitary' star, announces the arrival of autumn in the night sky. Here's how to see it

As night falls on October evenings, glance toward the southeast horizon. If there is one star that serves to announce the arrival of fall as the leaves have begun to turn, unquestionably that title would have to go to the brightest star within an otherwise dim and obscure star pattern.

That star pattern is Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish, which resides to the east and south of the zodiacal constellations of Capricornus the Sea Goat and Aquarius the Water Bearer. It's a V-shaped figure of five stars; faint stars that in most cases, cannot be seen from mid-northern latitudes, for even when they are at their highest above the southern horizon, they are still too low to penetrate the ground haze.

The lone star in question however, that is readily visible is Fomalhaut. While there is excel