Fact sheet
- Latin name
- Pictor (Pic)
- Brightest star
- α Pictoris (α Pic)
- Relative brightness
- 3.27 mag
- Hipparcos catalogue
- HIP 32607
- Area
- 247 deg² (rank: 59 out of 88)
- Right ascension
- 4h 32m 52s to 6h 52m 03s
- Declination
- -64° 09' 07'' to -42° 47' 47''
- Neighbouring constellations
- Columba, Caelum, Dorado, Volans, Carina, Puppis
Visibility
The constellation Pictor
Pictor (painter) is a constellation of the southern hemisphere. It is partly circumpolar around the South Pole. This means that some of its stars are so close to the celestial pole that they never set as seen from Sydney. Part of the constellation is therefore above the horizon all year round there.
The constellation lies to the west of the star Canopus, the main star of the constellation Carina. The star Canopus is the second brightest star in the night sky. Modern space probes use it as a guide star because of its brightness. It lies far from the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun, and therefore never comes close to the Sun.
The brightest star of the constellation is α Pictoris. However, its star β Pictoris is considered more important. Space photographs, taken among others by the Hubble Space Telescope, show that it is surrounded by clouds of gas and dust and is a birthplace of new planets. Two planets have already been found inside. The processes around β Pictoris can be compared with the formation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
History
The French theologian Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, who devoted his life to astronomy, geodesy and mathematics, introduced 14 new constellations of the southern hemisphere. In 1750, he set off on a four-year journey to the Cape of Good Hope in order to observe, among other things, the constellations of the southern sky. During this time, he catalogued almost 10,000 stars. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille named most of his new constellations after technical instruments. In this way, the constellations Sculptor, Fornax, Caelum, Antlia, Pictor, Microscopium, Reticulum, Octans, Horologium, Pyxis, Mensa, Telescopium, Norma and Circinus came into being. He also divided the large ancient constellation Argo Navis into the three constellations Carina, Puppis and Vela. His star catalogue of the southern sky was published in 1763, one year after his death, under the title “Coelum Australe Stelliferum”. What his 14 new constellations have in common is that they consist of relatively faint stars.
The original name of the constellation Pictor was “Equuleus Pictorius” (painter's easel). To this day, it represents a painter's easel together with a palette of colours. Later, however, the name of the constellation was shortened to “Pictor”.
