Pictor
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- This article refers to the constellation "Pictor". For the Roman historian, please refer to the Quintus Fabius Pictor article.
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| Abbreviation: | Pic |
| Genitive: | Pictoris |
| Symbology: | the Easel |
| Right ascension: | 4h 32m ~ 6h 51m h |
| Declination: | −43 ~ −64° |
| Area: | 247 sq. deg. (59th) |
| Main stars: | 3 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars: | 13 |
| Stars with known planets: | 3 |
| Bright stars: | none |
| Nearby stars: | 2 |
| Brightest star: | α Pic (+3.30m) |
| Nearest star: | Kapteyn's Star (12.78 ly) |
| 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 |
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Pictor (IPA: /ˈpɪktə/, Latin: easel) is one of the minor southern (declination -50° to -60°) constellations.
Pictor is a small, faint constellation located between brilliant Canopus and the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Pictor has attracted attention in recent years because of its second-brightest star β Pictoris, 62.9 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.
[edit] History
Pictor was invented and named by Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille — noted for his catalogue of nearly 10,000 southern stars, including 42 nebulous objects — in the 17th Century. The constellation has no known pre-18th century mythology surrounding it.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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