Pictor

This article is about the constellation. For the Roman historian, see Quintus Fabius Pictor. For the improved version of PCPaint, see Pictor Paint.

Pictor

Constellation
List of stars in Pictor
Abbreviation	Pic
Genitive	Pictoris
Pronunciation	/ˈpɪktər/, genitive /pɪkˈtɔərɨs/
Symbolism	the Easel
Right ascension	4.53 h ~ 6.85 h
Declination	−43° ~ −64°
Quadrant	SQ1
Area	247 sq. deg. (59th)
Main stars	3
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	15
Stars with planets	3
Stars brighter than 3.00m	none
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	1
Brightest star	α Pic (3.30m)
Nearest star	Kapteyn's Star (12.77 ly, 3.92 pc)
Messier objects	none
Meteor showers	none
Bordering constellations	Caelum Carina Columba Dorado Puppis Volans
Visible at latitudes between +26° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January.

Pictor is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky (declination −50° to −60°), located between the brilliant star Canopus and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Its name is Latin for painter, but it is in fact an abbreviation of its original name Equuleus Pictoris, the 'painter's easel', and it is normally represented as an easel. It was invented and named by Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 17th century.

Pictor has attracted attention in recent years because of its second-brightest star β Pictoris, 63.4 light-years distant, which is surrounded by an unusual dust disk rich in carbon. Kapteyn's Star, a nearby red dwarf at the distance of 12.78 light years, is the closest halo star known.

References

• Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.

External links

• Star Tales – Pictor
• Pictor @ Stargazing