Star lore
Pictor
Direct answer
Pictor is a faint southern constellation named for a painter's easel and located beside Carina and Dorado.
Pictor is Lacaille's Easel, a southern constellation containing the young star Beta Pictoris.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Related
- Perseus, Phoenix, Pisces Constellation, Piscis Austrinus
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The story behind Pictor
Lacaille introduced the figure in the eighteenth century as the Painter's Easel and Palette.
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The Road of the Sun
Where the twelve signs came from, and why they carry the names they do.
Why Pictor matters
The edge-on debris disk and directly imaged planets around Beta Pictoris make this quiet region important to planetary-system science.
Pictor in practice: an example
Beta Pictoris itself is naked-eye visible from dark southern sites, though its disk requires specialized imaging.
Where readings of Pictor go wrong
Published images of the debris disk are instrumentally processed observations, not the naked-eye appearance.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- International Astronomical Union: The Constellations - Official names, abbreviations, and boundaries for the 88 modern constellations.
- NASA Space Place: What Are Constellations? - NASA introduction to constellation regions, patterns, visibility, and seasonal sky changes.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Constellations & Star Lore
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Set the Easel beside young worlds
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Common questions
What is Pictor?
Pictor is a faint southern constellation named for a painter's easel and located beside Carina and Dorado.
What do people get wrong about Pictor?
Published images of the debris disk are instrumentally processed observations, not the naked-eye appearance.
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